Participants: John Lomacang
Series Code: WOFP
Program Code: WOFP000001
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00:24 Good morning. Happy Sabbath.
00:25 And welcome to 3ABN's Week of Prayer. 00:30 Now I say 3ABN's Week of Prayer, but it is really the Seventh-day 00:34 Adventist church's World Week of Prayer. 00:37 In doing this we join with the worldwide Seventh-day Adventist 00:40 church, tens of thousands of churches, and millions of 00:45 members in celebrating the Week of Prayer, 00:48 which takes place each fall, usually the first week in 00:51 November for the past several years. 00:53 The Week of Prayer is very, very much a part of the history of 00:57 the Seventh-day Adventist church, 00:59 and is as old as Adventism itself. 01:03 Ellen White speaks about several very powerful Weeks of Prayer 01:07 in 1901, 1903, and a particularly strong spiritual 01:12 gathering in 1909. 01:14 We all remember that famous 1888 General Conference in 01:18 Minneapolis, Minnesota. 01:20 The Week of Prayer that preceded that was one that 01:23 set the tone for our church wrestling with the righteousness 01:27 of Christ, righteousness by faith, 01:29 and the Lordship of Jesus Christ. 01:31 There is a record of a very, very powerful Week of Prayer 01:36 that took place in 1868. 01:39 Ellen White's personal diary records on January 12th of 1868 01:43 she talks about a very, very powerful move of God in a 01:47 Week of Prayer held in Battle Creek, Michigan. 01:49 At that time the Adventist Review, our church's paper, 01:53 had a number of employees who were non-Adventists, 01:56 and others who were in Adventist in name only. 01:58 They knew who Jesus was, but they didn't really know Jesus. 02:02 And she says at that particular Week of Prayer, during those 02:05 meetings the Spirit of God came down in a mighty way. 02:08 And confessions were made, testimonies were given, 02:10 and just about the entire Review staff gave itself to the Lord 02:15 during that particular Week of Prayer. 02:17 And so the Week of Prayer is something that is very, very 02:20 intricate, and intimate to the Seventh-day Adventist church. 02:23 These are the readings for this year. 02:26 This is the Week of Prayer readings for this year. 02:28 They come from the Adventist Review. 02:31 And, of course, every year these readings come out. 02:34 Our speakers this week will be following the titles, 02:38 and the general theme of these readings. 02:41 But each speaker will be speaking from the depth of their 02:45 experience with God, and on their own individual basis. 02:48 On tomorrow evening Shelley Quinn will be speaking from 02:53 this desk, on Monday Jim Gilley, on Tuesday John Dinzey, 02:58 on Wednesday our pastor returns, John Lomacang. 03:01 I will be speaking on Thursday. 03:02 And on Friday on a subject called, 03:05 Singing Through the Scriptures, Danny Shelton has a very 03:07 special presentation. 03:08 And then next Sabbath the editor of this Adventist Review, 03:11 Dr. Bill Knott, will be speaking from this desk. 03:14 The music for this week is coming from our Pillars Hymns 03:20 project, which was done on this very stage some one year ago. 03:24 On tomorrow evening the song, Jesus Is Coming Again, 03:29 will come to us from the choir. 03:31 And, of course, this is pre-recorded music. 03:33 On Monday, Near to the Heart of God, 03:36 will be sung by Melody Shelton. 03:37 On Tuesday, In Christ Alone, Yvonne Lewis. 03:40 On Wednesday, In the Heart of Jesus, Ladye Love Smith. 03:43 On Thursday, On Christ the Solid Rock, sung by Reggie Smith. 03:49 And on Friday, of course, we have the special program. 03:51 And on next Sabbath, Pastor Lomacang will be singing. 03:56 So we have a very, very full week. 03:58 Now I'm going to ask you to do something. 04:01 Weeks of Prayer were designed, and are designed, to be special 04:05 times with the Lord. 04:06 During this week I've dedicated to the Lord a couple of things: 04:09 1. I'm going to be fasting from sweets. 04:11 And if anybody knows me, and knows my predilection for sugar, 04:15 that is a great sacrifice to the Lord. 04:17 But it's something that I want to do. 04:19 And also I'm going to be fasting from secular TV. 04:22 No secular TV during this week. 04:23 Now I'm doing these things, not because 04:27 I'm trying to be righteous; that would make them legalistic. 04:30 What I'm doing is taking that time that I'd be watching TV, 04:33 or doing other things, and spending it getting 04:36 closer to the Lord. 04:37 I want to dedicate that time to the Lord. 04:39 Now, of course, we do have this little exercise and 04:42 referendum on Tuesday. 04:44 I'll probably be watching that. 04:45 But other than that we're going to fast from TV. 04:48 And the time I'd be watching other things, I want to spend 04:50 that in the Bible trying to get closer to the Lord. 04:53 May I request of you that you dedicate something 04:56 to the Lord during this week. 04:58 It could be sweets. 05:00 It could be other things; maybe something you like to do. 05:01 Use that time to get closer to the Lord, and then dedicate 05:05 to be with us each and every evening. 05:07 Sacrifice that to the Lord, and use this time wisely. 05:10 Don't just go through the week and let the week end as it 05:14 began, but do something to draw closer to God. 05:18 That's what these Weeks of Prayer were designed to do. 05:21 We have one every fall. 05:22 In our academies and colleges there are two. 05:25 There's a fall Week of Prayer, and a spring Week of Prayer. 05:27 But they are designed to bring us closer to God. 05:30 And so dedicate something to God this week; something that 05:33 will draw you closer to Him, that will renew your walk 05:36 with Him, and encourage, and increase your faith in Him, 05:39 and allow you to draw closer to the Lord. 05:42 Each night also we have a special object of prayer, 05:46 something that we're going to be praying about collectively 05:48 that is a burden on our hearts, perhaps a burden on yours. 05:53 Today our prayer is for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. 05:57 How many would like an outpouring 05:58 of the Holy Spirit in their lives? 06:00 Certainly we all need an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. 06:02 And why? To fight the Laodicean tendencies of the 06:07 Seventh-day Adventist church. 06:08 And somebody ought to say Amen. 06:10 And if you can't say Amen, say Ouch! 06:12 Because we can get lazy in our Sabbath keeping. 06:16 We can get lazy in our witnessing. 06:18 We can get lazy in our walking with the Lord. 06:21 And if you do anything long enough, and routine enough, 06:24 sometimes you get a little lazy in doing it. 06:27 And what we want is energy, and the Holy Spirit to use every 06:31 opportunity, first to get ourselves right with God, 06:35 and then everybody that falls within our sphere of influence, 06:38 we want to help them get right with God too, don't we? 06:40 So that's our prayer for today. 06:43 And if you join me in that prayer, would you raise your 06:44 hand, and then bow your head with me as we pray? 06:47 Father God, we truly want an outpouring of Your Holy Spirit, 06:54 not only during this day and this service, 06:59 but this entire week. 07:01 We want to be drawn closer to Jesus. 07:04 We want a fresh anointing from Jesus. 07:08 We want to walk closer to Jesus. 07:12 We want our words, and our lives, and our thoughts, 07:17 and our hearts to beat in sync with Jesus. 07:22 Father give us Your Holy Spirit so that we can be renewed, 07:27 and strengthened, and encouraged. 07:30 Help us not to sink down into Laodicean laziness, 07:37 but to be on fire for the Lord, so that people seeing us, 07:42 people talking with us, people conversing with us, 07:46 will not just see us, but that they will see the Jesus in us. 07:52 Because we want to be like Christ. 07:56 Oh Father, may during this week we take one more giant 08:04 step along the road that leads to glory. 08:08 Take hold of our hand, Lord, and never let it go. 08:12 Help us to walk with You each and every day until we walk 08:16 with You through the gates, and into the eternal city. 08:19 Bless Pastor Lomacang as he speaks today. 08:23 Give him food for our hearts. 08:26 And we thank You in Jesus' name, Amen. 08:31 As we mentioned, all of the music this week will come 08:35 from our Pillars Hymns project, which was recorded on this 08:38 stage just last year. 08:40 The song that I'm going to sing was done, written some 130, 08:45 my math says 135 years ago. 08:47 But the words are as powerful, and as pertinent, 08:51 and as potent 135 years later: My Faith Has Found a Resting 08:58 Place in Jesus Christ. 09:16 My faith has found a resting place not in a manmade creed. 09:27 I trust the ever living One; that He for me will plead. 09:37 I need no other evidence, I need no other plea. 09:48 It is enough that Jesus died and rose again for me. 10:06 Enough for me that Jesus saves; this ends my fear and doubt. 10:16 A sinful soul I come to Him, He will not cast me out. 10:27 I need no other evidence, I need no other plea. 10:37 It is enough that Jesus died and rose again for me. 10:50 The Great Physician heals the sick, 10:55 the lost He came to save. 11:01 For me His precious blood He shed, 11:06 for me His life He gave. 11:11 I need no other evidence, I need no other plea. 11:22 It is enough that Jesus died, and rose again for me. 11:43 My soul is resting on the Word, the living Word of God. 11:53 Salvation in my Savior's name, salvation through His blood. 12:03 I need no other evidence, I need no other plea. 12:14 It is enough that Jesus died, and rose again for me. 12:48 Amen! Let us pray. 12:52 Heavenly Father, this morning as we open Your Word, 12:56 we pray that we open our hearts with it, and that we hear what 13:01 the Spirit says to us in this crisis hour of earth's history. 13:05 So take this message, Lord, and use it as You will. 13:08 In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. 13:12 Mark 4:37 reads as follows: And a great windstorm arose, 13:21 and the waves beat into the ship 13:24 so that it was already filling. 13:28 The message is entitled, The Perfect Storm, 13:31 The Perfect Storm. 13:34 It was categorized as the perfect storm, 13:39 and forecasters said that it could create conditions 13:42 even more deadly than the storm that inspired the movie 13:47 with the very same name. 13:49 ABC news meteorologist, Dan Harris, reported the following: 13:54 he said, Hurricane Sandy could be the storm of the century, 13:58 and for New Yorkers a once in a lifetime phenomena. 14:03 Dan Harris continued as he said, Such dire warnings conjure up 14:10 images of disaster, and movies such as, The Day After Tomorrow, 14:16 or, The Perfect Storm. 14:17 But he also says, Some New Yorkers said they heard it all 14:22 before, and they were not just buying it. 14:26 Good Morning America interviewed New Yorkers that just 14:29 don't believe the hype. 14:30 And the reason is that last year hurricane Irene did not live 14:36 up to the hype that they said it would bring, 14:40 even though it did a lot of damage to the outlying 14:43 areas of New York City. 14:45 The forecast of coming disasters, meteorologist 14:49 Dan Harris, also said, he said, It seems so theoretical 14:53 that in the imagination it could give life to complacency. 14:57 You know, that's how it often is. 14:59 We see the reporters standing in the driving rain. 15:02 Can you see that? He's leaning into the wind while 15:06 gripping his microphone. 15:07 And while he struggles to keep his balance, he simply yells 15:11 out his news report. 15:15 Big city people tend to adopt what I call a dismissive 15:19 attitude saying that, It's all happened before. 15:22 It won't be that bad. 15:23 And, by the way, with a name like Sandy, 15:25 how could it be that bad anyway? 15:30 After all, this was the city that bounced back from 911. 15:34 This is the largest metropolitan area in the 15:37 nation: New York City. 15:39 This is the Big Apple. 15:41 Don't upset us with things that only happen in little towns, 15:45 one New Yorker said. 15:47 A Battery Park resident also was quoted as saying, The wind may 15:51 be strong, the noise, the sound, but I don't really think it's 15:56 going to be as bad as they say it will be. 15:58 But now let me give you the Post storm report. 16:02 His perception fell far short of his reality. 16:06 Battery Park has been without power and electricity 16:10 since the storm hit, and the subway systems probably won't 16:15 be up and running for many months. 16:17 That's what they said as on the news yesterday. 16:20 Electricity was interrupted from 34th Street to Battery Park. 16:25 And for those of you that have never been to New York, 16:27 that's midtown Manhattan down to the waterfront 16:31 in the Wall Street area. 16:36 Standing in front of Bank America, another New Yorker 16:39 after being interviewed said, What are we going to do, panic? 16:43 We are just New Yorkers. 16:44 We don't believe the hype anyway. 16:46 But how quickly some forget that just a few years ago 16:50 the warnings were not headed about Hurricane Katrina, 16:53 and it devastated the Gulf coast in 2005. 16:57 It became one of the five deadliest storms in US history. 17:02 The perfect storm. 17:05 ABC news continues, as they put together a headline on Monday 17:11 morning about a community that I quote. 17:14 They said, They won't go. 17:15 Residents stay put in vulnerable 17:19 New York neighborhood. 17:21 As they continued in the story, a lady by the name of, 17:26 Mary Lapara, and her neighbors, ABC news said, 17:30 are defying orders to evacuate the seaside community 17:33 of Breezy Point in New York. 17:36 She said, We're sticking it out. 17:39 Even if we have to go up on our roofs, 17:42 that's what we're going to do. 17:44 We're sticking it out. 17:45 We're going to ride this storm out. 17:47 We are Breezy Point. 17:49 We're been here for more than 30 to 40 years. 17:52 This is a tightly knit community. 17:54 I read the article, and one person said, We've got 35 17:58 people that are going to stay. 17:59 We're going to have a barbeque. 18:01 We're going to roast some pork, and some vegetables. 18:03 We're going to ride this storm out. 18:04 We're going to have a good time, because we are New Yorkers. 18:08 We fear nothing. But Tuesday morning 18:12 a different story was told. 18:14 ABC news also tells about a man by the name of Douglas Owens. 18:18 While he was walking along the beach checking out the surf, 18:21 as the storm was still 250 miles away, he said, 18:24 I am prepared for it, he joked. 18:26 I've got a nice big hoodie on. 18:29 I can ride this storm out on any day. 18:32 But Tuesday morning the story was as follows: 80 to 150 homes 18:37 destroyed in Breezy Point, New York, 18:40 by uncontrollable fire. 18:45 Standing on a podium as if he had been handcuffed by the 18:48 complacency of his constituents, Governor Andrew Cuomo said 18:52 that he was troubled by the psychology of his 18:56 fellow New Yorkers. 18:58 They hear warnings, but they don't receive 19:02 and heed the warnings. 19:04 This is a big city. 19:05 This is the metropolis of New York City. 19:08 At a Sunday morning news conference, Governor Cuomo 19:10 warned, This is not the time to take a chance. 19:15 Whatever it is, it's very serious. 19:18 And it's nothing to be trifled with. 19:20 But ABC news continues. 19:22 They said, Some people may scoff at the predictions, 19:26 but forecasters are often right. 19:29 That's the sad reality. 19:31 Often times people take everything that weathermen, 19:34 and weather personnel say as just a prediction, 19:39 or a speculative statement. 19:42 But often times they are right. 19:45 And what many of them forgot is the perfect storm was based on 19:48 an actual story that actually killed people in the northeast. 19:52 In a city of 19 million people, the question is, What difference 19:57 can the voice of one man make to his constituents? 20:01 If you've been following the calendar, 20:03 we are living in the year 2012. 20:05 And according to the Mayan predictions, 20:07 on December 21, 2012 life as we know it 20:12 is going to be redefined. 20:15 But let me just say it this way this morning, 20:18 life as we know it is already being redefined. 20:21 Life altering disasters have become mile markers 20:27 to remind us that we are nearing the end of our journey. 20:32 On one side I look up and say, Thank you, Jesus. 20:35 But on the other hand I say, Lord have mercy, 20:37 when I look around me at the complacency in the world, 20:41 and the complacency even in the church. 20:44 We want Jesus to come, but there are those that just don't 20:48 believe the promises of His coming. 20:50 Where is the promise of His coming? 20:52 For since our fathers fell asleep, all things continue 20:56 as they were from the very beginning. 20:58 And we know very well things are not the way they used to be. 21:01 And Paul the apostle, as you turn with me to 21:04 I Thessalonians 5, he shouts words of warning to those that 21:08 may stand by and mock at the coming perfect storm. 21:13 For he writes in verses 1 to 6 of I Thessalonians 5, he says: 21:18 But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren,... 21:22 Speaking to the church. 21:24 ...you have no need that I should write to you. 21:27 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the 21:32 Lord so comes as a thief in the night. 21:36 For when they say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction 21:42 comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman;... 21:46 And he continues... and they shall not escape. 21:51 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this day 21:56 should overtake you as a thief. 21:58 God has warned His church of what's to come. 22:01 We are not in darkness. 22:02 We shall not sleep as they do. 22:05 He says, You are all sons of light, and sons of the day: 22:09 we are not of the night, nor of darkness. 22:13 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do; 22:19 but let us watch and be sober. 22:25 In Prophets and Kings, Ellen White lets us know that not 22:28 everybody is sleeping. 22:30 Not everybody is taking the reports of the 22:33 coming storm lightly. 22:34 She says, The time is at hand when there will be sorrow in the 22:39 world that no human balm can heal. 22:42 And we've arrived at that hour. 22:44 The Spirit of God is being withdrawn. 22:47 Disasters by sea and land follow one another in quick succession. 22:54 How frequently we hear of earthquakes, and tornados of 22:58 destruction by fire and flood, with great loss 23:02 of life and property. 23:03 Sounds like the headlines of New York and New Jersey. 23:07 She continues. Apparently these calamities are capricious 23:13 outbreaks of disorganized, unregulated forces of nature, 23:17 wholly beyond the control of man. 23:20 But in them all, she says, God's purposes may be read. 23:25 They are among the agencies by which He seeks to arouse men 23:29 and women to a sense of their danger. 23:34 We are living in dangerous times. 23:36 We are living in crisis times. 23:39 Being raised in New York City was one of the reasons why we 23:43 never really took forecasts of hurricanes seriously. 23:47 After all hurricanes don't go that far north. 23:49 They're not supposed to. 23:52 But we're living in a time where things that are not supposed to 23:57 happen, are happening. 23:59 One news reporter said, We're only supposed to get events like 24:02 this once every 100 years, but the last 3 years we've had 24:05 hundred year events: major earthquakes in the Pacific, 24:10 fires and floods, storms that are beyond our control, 24:14 storms that we could not predict. 24:16 We're living in crisis hours of earth's history. 24:19 And those of us who take these times lightly will fall into the 24:23 category of those in the northeast; 24:25 not considering the crisis hour in which we live. 24:29 This morning I want to let you know that God loves those in the 24:33 cities as much as He loves those in the country. 24:36 But city life can lull you to sleep, and make you ignorant 24:42 of the real danger. 24:43 When you're walking down Times Square, and you see all the 24:45 lights, and when you're housed in buildings that are 30, 40, 50 24:49 stories high, like this crane that's still hovering over the 24:52 streets of New York City in the Upper West Side of Manhattan. 24:55 They were in the midst of building a penthouse, a 90 story 25:01 tall building; a residence in the middle of the city. 25:04 When a city is that large, the only way you can go is up. 25:09 And on the 90th floor, that penthouse... 25:13 I want you to hear me very carefully. 25:14 ...is going to be sold, when it's completed, 25:17 for 90 million dollars. 25:19 Building towers to their own destruction. 25:23 God shows us that even at the 90th floor, we are not beyond 25:28 the reach of the winds of God. 25:30 But the problem in big cities is Satan has diverted the minds, 25:35 and they don't take the coming storms very seriously. 25:38 In the cities large churches are distracted. 25:41 And I've discovered, as a pastor in a little small town, 25:44 even in small towns churches can become distracted. 25:49 It is in this distracted hour that I can see the prophet 25:53 climbing the walls of these fortified cities with a rams 25:57 horn strapped to his back, as Joel the prophet is 26:01 commissioned by God to wake up the church in this crisis hour. 26:06 I read these words in your hearing in Joel 2:1. 26:11 The Lord commissioned Joel to, Blow the trumpet in Zion, 26:15 and to sound an alarm in My holy mountain: let all the 26:22 inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord is 26:26 coming, for it is at hand;... 26:30 In the northeast many dismissed the approaching storm. 26:36 And I would suggest to you today that the church is suffering 26:39 from some of the same complacency that caused those 26:43 in the northeast to ignore the warnings. 26:46 You see, the church has gotten used to nature following 26:50 a certain pattern. 26:52 But as those who lived during the time of Noah, 26:55 they understand that the fact is that the God of nature is 26:59 above the patterns of nature. 27:01 If God wants a storm to go north, 27:04 God can send a storm north. 27:07 But allow me to echo the sentiments of that New Yorker 27:12 that said under a cloud of false security, 27:15 Why are we going to panic? 27:18 Are we going to panic? 27:20 We're Christians. We understand the back of the book. 27:22 Often times Danny will say, Read the back of the book. 27:24 But sometimes, let me suggest, we need to read 27:27 the rest of the book. 27:28 Because we know how the story ends, but how the story is 27:32 playing out in our day to day lives, is what God is 27:34 more concerned about. 27:36 Whether or not we're preparing for this crisis hour in our own 27:39 lives is what revival is really all about. 27:42 Knowing how it's going to end is not going to make any 27:45 difference if I'm not getting ready for the end. 27:47 And if we don't get ready for the end at the end, 27:50 we get ready for the end day by day. 27:52 We get ready for the end by the way we live our 27:55 lives on a daily basis. 27:56 We get ready for the end by our devotional life. 27:59 We get ready for the end by the time we spend in church 28:02 together praying, and studying together. 28:05 And it would do us well to really have 28:08 a weeklong of prayer. 28:10 And the church said Amen. Amen! 28:17 One thing you learn about storms is if you haven't prayed before, 28:20 a storm will make you pray. 28:22 An earthquake will make you pray. 28:24 Crisis will make you pray. 28:26 Difficulties will make you pray. 28:30 As that person in New York said, What are we going to do, panic? 28:35 If it starts with panic, that's what God will use. 28:39 In Amos 6:1 He says: Woe to those who are ease in Zion,... 28:44 And I'd like to say, as one who's traveled around the 28:46 world, and seen the Adventist church from various angles, 28:49 in America the church is too complacent. 28:52 It is asleep to a large degree. 28:54 The place where the church has the greatest wealth is the place 28:57 where the church is most asleep, in North America. 29:00 And I pray for this Week of Prayer to arouse the 29:03 church in North America. 29:05 When you go to Africa the church is there. 29:07 The church is alive. 29:08 The church is vibrant. 29:09 You go to Russia the church is there. 29:11 The church is alive. 29:12 The church is vibrant. 29:14 You go to Asia, the church is there. 29:15 They're alive and they're vibrant. 29:17 They'll stand together under a thatched hut in the 29:20 rain to worship God. 29:22 And we won't come with these comfortable pews. 29:24 I believe that really it's North America that needs to be 29:29 awakened to the crisis hour in which we live. 29:31 But the trumpet is being blown all around the world. 29:35 And just in case that Scripture hasn't come home to you, 29:38 God didn't just tell Joel to blow the trumpet, 29:40 He said, To sound an alarm. 29:43 You think about that. 29:45 Sometimes you can hear the train blowing its 29:47 horn from miles away. 29:48 But you know that it's coming your direction when you 29:51 begin to hear the alarm. 29:53 Are you following me very carefully? 29:54 Those of you that travel through Benton and West Frankfort, 29:57 you know you can hear the horn from a long distance. 30:00 You can hear the word of God way in the backgrounds of your 30:03 life, but when the alarms begin to sound, 30:06 you know that the event is a lot closer than it used to be. 30:12 We're living in the days of the alarm; 30:14 no longer just the trumpet. 30:16 But there's something else about this significance of blowing 30:19 the trumpet and sounding the alarm. 30:21 In this judgment hour God has people all over the world 30:26 that are oppressed by sin, oppressed by suffering, 30:29 oppressed by worldliness. 30:31 And when Joel blows the trumpet, when he sounds the alarm 30:35 in God's holy mountain, there's a purpose for that 30:38 sounding of the alarm. 30:39 There's a purpose for the blowing of the trumpet. 30:41 Go with me to Numbers 10:9. 30:43 And follow this verse very carefully; one that you may have 30:47 read before, but it fits into the context of blowing the 30:50 trumpet, and sounding the alarm in God's holy mountain. 31:04 Verse 9 in Numbers 10 reads as follows: When you go to war 31:10 in your land against the enemy who oppresses you,... 31:12 And I say it again, There are many today that are oppressed 31:15 by sin, by suffering, and by worldliness. 31:19 Some voluntarily oppressed. 31:20 But when you go to war in your land against the enemy 31:24 who oppresses you, when you shall sound an alarm with the 31:28 trumpets; and you will be remembered before the Lord 31:32 your God, and you will be saved from your enemies. 31:36 When the trumpet and the alarms are blown together by the people 31:41 of God, God will save His people. 31:44 There should have been a hardy Amen right there. 31:47 Because there are those that once walked with God, 31:49 there were those that were once dedicated to God. 31:51 God wants to bring those back that once walked with Him. 31:55 God wants to reignite our flame, that dedication that we had 31:59 right after we were baptized. 32:00 Some of us have lost that dedication. 32:02 Some of us are not Adventist. 32:05 We forgot the Christian side to that. 32:08 Some of us are one day Adventists. 32:11 We ought to be seven day Adventists. 32:13 Some of us show up, and we come in at the last minute, 32:18 and leave just before the closing prayer. 32:20 Some of us leave at the end of the sermon to run back to the 32:24 complacency of our comfortable homes. 32:26 That's why God knows if it takes a storm; sometimes it takes a 32:30 storm for us to know that we need a shelter. 32:33 Sometimes it takes a storm for us to know that we 32:35 need a hiding place. 32:36 And I'm going to tell you this, the Lord our Rock, 32:38 in Him we hide. He's our shelter in the time of storm. 32:41 We've got to remember, God doesn't want us to be Adventists 32:44 one day of the week. 32:46 He wants us to be Adventists every day. 32:47 We ought to be ready for the coming of the Lord every day 32:49 of the week, not just one day. 32:51 So this week of spiritual revival, this Week of Prayer, 32:55 we ought to pray like Pastor C. A. suggested we do. 32:59 Get into it with God, and understand that what happened 33:02 in New York, what happened in New Orleans, what happened over 33:07 in Asia, where just a few years ago over 300 thousand people 33:10 lost their lives on December 26, can happen 33:13 anywhere in our nation. 33:14 But for the grace of God, 3ABN would have been destroyed a long 33:17 time ago, but God, I believe, has a canopy over this ministry. 33:21 How does a ministry survive without single antenna, 33:25 without a single satellite dish moving any, not a single inch, 33:30 when a 120 mile an hour winds are bursting through the land? 33:33 God is in charge. How do we survive? 33:37 Some of you come with motor homes, and trailers, and we have 33:41 houses that can barely stand on their own, and they stand, 33:44 and they survive a 120 mile an hour winds. 33:47 Some of us have homes surrounded by trees, as is our property, 33:50 more than 100 trees. 33:52 How do you survive with not a single tree touching your home? 33:54 God has His hand over His people. 33:56 God has called us to sound the alarm, blow the trumpet, 34:00 for the Day of God is coming. 34:01 And I want to say this, that day is coming 34:03 faster than we believed. 34:05 I don't believe the predictions of the Mayans, but boy it sounds 34:08 like they're getting real close. 34:09 For things that are happening in this year that 34:13 have never happened. 34:14 As they said in New York City, in 108 years of the history of 34:18 the transit system in New York, never have they been 34:21 crippled like this. 34:22 You see the news reports. 34:25 34th Street, water multiple levels down in the subway. 34:30 They can't turn the electricity on. 34:32 They'll electrocute everybody in the city. 34:33 You couldn't go down there. 34:36 Subways are destroyed, turnstiles are destroyed, 34:38 trains are destroyed, escalators are destroyed, 34:42 token booths are destroyed. 34:43 And they asked one of the servicemen to calculate how long 34:47 do you think... CNN asked them, How long can you estimate 34:52 it will take before this subway will be up and running? 34:55 He says, I'm not an architect. 34:57 I'll be speculating. 34:59 But on my estimation it may be months before this 35:03 subway is open again. 35:05 That's just one of the many subway systems from midtown 35:08 to downtown Manhattan. 35:11 My sister tells me the story. 35:12 She calls me every day and fills me in. 35:14 Gas lines miles long, food becoming scarce, water, 35:20 the basic necessities hard to find. 35:22 In a city like New York, the city that has everything, 35:26 except the common sense to be prepared for storms that 35:30 can take their lives. 35:32 But not just New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Boston, 35:35 West Virginia, Washington, D. C. 35:37 The cities of the east seem impregnable, but when God wants 35:41 to get our attention, God knows exactly how to do it. 35:48 I also want to say the mission of Jesus has never been altered, 35:51 has never been abrogated, and has never been cancelled. 35:54 He says, Call His name Jesus. 35:56 He will save His people from their sins. 36:01 It's not about how comfortable our lives are. 36:05 It's about are we ready to be saved? 36:06 Are we ready for the crisis hour? 36:08 Are we ready for the salvation that God is extending to every 36:12 one of us on this planet? This is the hour. 36:14 In the time of crisis we are to remember that the most important 36:18 thing still becomes the most important thing. 36:20 But there are those that don't like their 36:22 worlds to be disturbed. 36:24 But I tell you what, a crisis will disturb your world. 36:28 When I considered how asleep many were in the northeast, 36:33 how many looked at this storm; 1000 mile to 16 hundred miles 36:38 wide, moving at a slow pace of 25 miles an hour, as if to say, 36:43 I'm coming! And we ought to remember because it takes long 36:50 to get there doesn't mean it ain't coming. 36:52 Because Jesus is taking long to get here doesn't 36:55 mean He ain't coming. 36:56 These are signs. These are harbingers that 37:01 the Lord is coming. 37:02 You've got to look into the desert and see the smoke rising, 37:05 the approaching footsteps of judgments. 37:08 It may take long to come, but it's coming. 37:11 And those of us that know better ought to be getting ready 37:14 for that crisis hour that's just ahead of us. 37:16 I discovered that those who fall asleep are always in danger. 37:20 When Sampson fell asleep he lost his strength and his sight. 37:23 When Jonah fell asleep he risked the entire ship, 37:27 because he chose to sleep at a crisis hour. 37:30 When Uticus fell asleep he lost his life. 37:32 Thank God somebody restored that before it was too late. 37:36 But I want to say today, that if the church is asleep, 37:38 it's about to lose its strength, and lose its sight. 37:42 When the church is asleep it endangers the lives of those 37:46 around it like Jonah did. 37:49 When the church members are asleep, they, like Uticus are in 37:53 danger of spiritual death. 37:56 And the one thing that we cannot afford is to be asleep 38:00 at this crisis hour. 38:01 So there are four reasons for calamities; four reasons why God 38:06 allows crises to come. 38:08 Four reasons that I will outline right now that lets us know 38:11 the reason why God allowed the storm. 38:13 I've discovered that God could prevent anything. 38:16 But the question is not why God didn't prevent it, 38:19 the question is why did God allow it? 38:22 Reason 1. God allows calamities to wake us up. 38:28 Romans 13:11, one of my favorite verses. 38:31 Every time I sign a CD, I always put this text down. 38:34 Romans 13:11 reads as follows: And know this, knowing the time, 38:44 that now it is... What kind of time, church? 38:47 Come on say high time. 38:49 Come on say high time. High time! 38:53 And now it is high time to awake out of sleep: 38:58 for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. 39:04 My salvation is a lot nearer today, Jim. 39:08 And when I first gave my life to the Lord... 39:10 I'm always encouraged by people that get newly baptized. 39:13 They come to everything. 39:14 You know they come to Wednesday night prayer meeting. 39:16 They come to Vespers. 39:19 They come to Sabbath School, for Bible studies. 39:22 They are excited about their new found spiritual faith. 39:25 But like one pastor said to an elder that stood by a door, 39:29 and he watched one of those very excited 39:31 newly baptized church members. 39:33 The pastor said to the elders standing by, 39:36 Just give it some time. They'll cool down. 39:39 But I'm praying that the people of God don't cool down. 39:42 I'm praying that we'd warm up. Amen! 39:44 God doesn't need a lukewarm church. 39:48 He wants us to be hot or cold. 39:50 Decide, like one of my favorite preachers who's now deceased, 39:53 he said, If all your religion is is lukewarm you might as well 39:59 leave the church and enjoy the world, 40:00 if you're going to be lost anyhow. 40:02 Don't make sense to not enjoy the world, and not enjoy the 40:05 church, and be lost anyhow. 40:06 But if you're going to enjoy what God has called you 40:09 to experience; this Christian walk with Him. 40:11 If you want to enjoy that, you've got to jump into that 40:14 heart, and soul, and mind, and body. 40:17 Can the church say Amen? Amen! 40:19 It's like standing around a beautifully cool pool on a 40:22 115 degree day, wondering why everybody on the 40:24 inside is so excited. 40:26 You've got to dive in! 40:27 You've got to put your entire self, immerse yourself in the 40:31 experience of what it means to be a Christian Seventh-day 40:35 Adventist in this crisis hour. 40:36 Those that don't dive in don't understand what gets us excited. 40:40 But I want to remind you of something that 40:43 Governor Cuomo said. 40:44 He said, just a few days ago he said, This is the new normal. 40:48 This: storms, strategies, crises where 40:53 they should not happen. 40:55 This is the new normal. 40:56 You believe... See political leaders know that there's a 40:59 paradigm shift taking place in nature. 41:02 They know that something's occurring. 41:04 They know better than they tell us. 41:07 You know, like on the heels of 911 they said, Let's just go 41:10 back to life as it used to be. 41:14 They've got gas masks in Congress, 41:16 but let's just go back to life as it used to be. 41:22 But God's servant, Ellen White, understood these times, 41:26 and God gave her a statement that spells the climate 41:31 in our world today. 41:33 Listen to what she says in the book, Education, page 179. 41:36 She said, The present is a time of overwhelming interest to 41:42 all living. Is it not? 41:44 Rulers and statesmen, men who occupy positions of trust 41:50 and authority, thinking men and women of all classes have their 41:57 attention fixed upon the events taking place about us. 42:02 They are watching the strained, restless relations 42:06 that exist among the nations. 42:07 They observe, listen carefully, the intensity that is taking 42:12 possession of every earthly element, and they recognize 42:17 that something great, and decisive is about to take place, 42:21 and that the world is on the verge of a stupendous crisis. 42:27 That's why it's too late for us to hang our security on just 42:30 our name, Seventh-day Adventist. 42:32 Our security is found in Jesus and His Word. 42:34 Can the church say Amen? Amen! 42:36 We've got to find security in His name, not in our name. 42:39 So the first reason why God sends calamity 42:43 is He wants us to wake up. 42:44 But there's a second reason why God sends calamity. 42:46 He doesn't want us just to wake up, He wants us to stand up. 42:50 Ezekiel 37:10, when Ezekiel preached to the dry bones. 42:56 The Bible says, So I prophesied. 42:58 I preached as I was commanded, and breath came into them 43:02 and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, 43:07 an exceedingly great army. 43:10 Let me make application. 43:12 The church that wakes up ought to be the church that stands up. 43:19 Since waking up and sitting down, when told Ezekiel to pray 43:24 that they wake up, he also said pray that they stand up. 43:28 God does not need Christians on the bench. 43:33 He needs us on the field. 43:35 God wants us to stand up. 43:37 When they were getting ready for the deliverance in Egypt 43:41 the Lord didn't say, Sit down and eat the Passover. 43:43 He says, Stand up and eat it, for in a few short hours your 43:49 deliverance would come. 43:50 If we believe that our deliverance is on the way, 43:52 we've got to stand up. 43:54 Why do we have to stand up? 43:57 It was not until Peter stood up for the Lord that he was able 44:04 to stand with the Lord. 44:05 You see, when we stand with the Lord, 44:07 then we can stand for the Lord. 44:09 The church that does not stand with the Lord is the church that 44:13 cannot stand for the Lord. 44:14 If we're going to stand for the Lord we've got to stand 44:17 with the Lord every moment of every day. 44:21 The third reason that God allows calamities is described in the 44:25 post crisis following the storm. 44:28 This post crisis that is now gripping New York teaches us 44:32 about the importance of the third reason why 44:34 God allows calamities; third reason why He allows it. 44:38 First reason is to wake us up. 44:39 Second reason is to stand us up. 44:42 The third reason is to fill us up. 44:44 My sister told me how difficult it is to find fuel in New York. 44:49 There's a lack of fuel. 44:50 There's a lack of water. 44:52 And there's a lack of food. 44:53 In a city like New York how could there possibly 44:57 be a lack of food, a lack of fuel? 45:00 She called me last night just before we went to bed. 45:04 Whenever it's past 11:00 o'clock I know it's my sister. 45:07 She likes to call me late. 45:10 She always likes to call me right before 45:12 prayer meeting begins. 45:13 Sometimes I'm at church and I forget to turn my phone off, 45:16 and it's my sister calling me. 45:18 But she called me last night. 45:20 She works for the Police Department, 45:21 and works for the Fire Department. 45:22 She said last night that there was a line upwards 45:29 of five miles long. 45:31 People sitting in their cars with their engines turned off. 45:35 Not filling up their cars, but waiting for fuel to be delivered 45:40 at 1:00 o'clock in the morning, to hope 45:43 to fill up their vehicles. 45:45 And you've seen the pictures in New York City. 45:47 I'm talking about New York City. 45:48 People standing with their red gas cans. 45:51 People losing their temper; patience running thin. 45:54 One man was arrested yesterday for pulling out 45:56 a gun on somebody. 45:58 His temper got the best of him. 45:59 That's the crisis hour. 46:01 Men are in perplexity with anguish, 46:03 wondering what to do next. 46:06 But it's in this crisis hour that God does not just want us 46:09 to wake up, and to stand up, but God wants us to be filled up. 46:15 What do you say? Because in God's economy there 46:18 is no lack of power. 46:20 There's no lack of fuel. 46:22 There's no lack of water. 46:23 And there's no lack of spiritual food. 46:25 Can the church say Amen? 46:27 God wants us to be filled up. 46:28 There is no lack of Holy Spirit. 46:30 There is no lack of Spiritual food. 46:32 There is no lack of the refreshing water of the 46:35 relationship with Jesus Christ, the Water of Life. 46:37 There is no lack. But the one thing you discover in a crisis 46:41 is this: basic provisions that were abundant before the storm 46:46 became scarce right after the storm. 46:49 And the tragedy of the Northeast is just a glimpse 46:53 of what's on the horizon. 46:54 Go with me to Amos 8:11-13, Amos 8:11-13. 47:03 And notice, there's another storm coming even greater than 47:08 Hurricane Sandy, even greater than Hurricane Irene. 47:15 Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord,... Amos 8:11... 47:19 that I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, 47:27 nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. 47:32 And look at the climate as you read this. 47:34 This is what's happening in New York City for physical food, 47:37 for physical water, for actual fuel. 47:39 They shall wonder from sea to sea, and from north to east, 47:47 they shall run to and fro... 47:50 That's what's happening in the cities right now. 47:51 But in this crises... seeking the word of the Lord, 47:56 but shall not find it. 47:58 In that day the fair virgins and strong men 48:02 shall faint from thirst. 48:05 There are people right now having to get their water from 48:08 hydrants in the city. 48:09 Boiling water; I would never have imagined. 48:11 I'm a New Yorker. I was born and raised in New York City. 48:13 I understand the hydrant system. 48:15 I understand the subways, and the buses, and the taxis. 48:17 It's just, it's beyond my comprehension, if I'm not there, 48:20 to imagine that this is happening to my city. 48:27 They survived 9/11. 48:31 But this far outweighs 9/11 in scope, and in duration. 48:37 A lot less lives are lost, but the impact financially on that 48:43 city is incalculable. 48:48 When I look upon the climate in which we live, I understand a 48:52 couple of things that this is not as bad as it's going to get. 48:54 Because as we sit here this morning, God is still holding 48:58 back the winds of strife. 49:00 His angels are still holding on as their knuckles are red, 49:04 they're holding on. 49:06 And by God's grace they're holding on that somebody else 49:09 may be revived, and may be saved. 49:11 They're holding at the north end, and the east end, 49:16 and the south end, and the west end. 49:18 And Ellen White says angels are now restraining 49:22 the winds of strife that they may not blow until the world 49:28 has been warned of its coming doom. 49:31 But a storm is gathering, ready to burst upon the earth. 49:35 And when God shall bid His angels to loose the winds, 49:40 there will be such a scene of strife as no pen can picture. 49:46 Education, 179, paragraph 6. 49:50 That's the coming storm. It's not Irene. 49:53 It's not just going to effect the northeast, but it's going to 49:56 effect the south, and the west. 49:58 It's going to effect the Caribbean. 50:00 It's going to affect Asia. 50:01 It's going to effect the islands of the sea. 50:03 It's going to affect large and small alike. 50:05 That's the crisis. That's why I am so glad that God has chosen 50:09 to impact this church. 50:11 We should be praying for a week when we see 50:13 what's on the horizon. 50:14 One of the prayers that we should be praying is 50:17 found in Zachariah 10:1. 50:18 Ask the Lord for rain in the time of the latter rain. 50:23 There's a whole lot of rain. 50:24 People in the northeast don't want to see rain, 50:26 but there's another nor-easter heading up there right now; 50:29 10 to 50 mile an hour winds, people without homes, 50:34 no heat, no water. They're saying it's not a hurricane. 50:37 But you don't want to see any more rain when you already 50:41 have the rain that you already had. 50:42 When you have no place to lay your head, no roof under which 50:47 to be secure, the last thing you want to see is another storm. 50:52 But in the midst of the storm the Lord says, In the time of 50:57 the latter rain ask the Lord for rain. 50:59 And the Lord will make flashing clouds. 51:01 He will give them showers of rain, 51:04 grass in the field for everyone. 51:07 You see on one end the time of rain brings destruction 51:12 for those that are not ready. 51:13 But for those that heed the warning the rain that comes 51:16 becomes showers of blessings. 51:18 God's people need to be ready. 51:20 The hour is crisis hour. 51:22 And the last reason why God allows calamities is this: 51:25 He doesn't just want us to wake up, He doesn't just want us to 51:31 stand up, He doesn't just want us to fill up, but He wants us 51:38 to speak up. Can you say Amen? 51:40 God doesn't need a quiet church. 51:43 You see, it is during bad news that people need the good news 51:47 and God has called us to join with Christ in proclaiming the 51:51 last bit of good news that the world is ever going to hear. 51:54 I want to tell you, in the midst of bad news the gospel is still 51:58 good news. What do you say? 52:00 Salvation is still good news. 52:03 Deliverance is still good news. 52:06 That's why revival and the word; it calls for a change in focus, 52:11 and a change in direction. 52:13 We have to stand up, wake up, fill up, and speak up. 52:18 You see the message began with a great storm. 52:22 But I want to end the message today with a great calm. 52:25 For it's not how it begins that brings me concern, 52:29 but it's how it ends that brings me joy. 52:31 I know how it's going to end. 52:33 It's going to end good. 52:34 What do you say church? 52:36 But it's going to get bad before it gets better. 52:41 As we see the small cloud on the horizon, it's going to get 52:45 worse, Karen, before it gets better. 52:49 That storm is just a foretaste, and it was barely a Category 1. 52:53 I can only imagine what would have happened 52:56 if it were a Category 3. 52:57 This crisis began with a great wind storm. 53:02 But as I read God's word in Mark 4:39, no matter how bad the 53:06 storm is, Jesus can calm every storm. What do you say? 53:10 Then he arose in the middle of a storm. 53:13 He arose with His disciples, in the boat. 53:16 He arose on the Sea of Galilee. 53:18 And the Bible says in Mark 4:39, He did not just arise, 53:22 He didn't just stand up, but He rebuked the wind, 53:26 and He said to the sea, Peace, be still. 53:30 And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 53:35 There are a lot of great storms, but like the songwriter says, 53:41 The Lord our rock, in Him we hide. 53:44 A shelter in the time of storm. 53:46 Come on and say Amen, somebody. 53:48 Secure whatever may betide, a shelter in the time of storm. 53:54 Mighty rock in a weary land, cooling shade 53:58 on the burning sand, Faithful guide for the pilgrim band. 54:03 Jesus is our shelter in the time of storm. 54:07 And so I've got a message as a New Yorker. 54:11 You know, I was born and raised in New York City. 54:15 and I got to tell the governors there of the city of New York, 54:18 Governor Christie, and Governor Cuomo there's some good news. 54:22 Because the world is not in the hands of the governors 54:25 of New York, but the world is in the hand of God. 54:29 The government is on His shoulders. 54:31 God can hold it together when it's falling apart. 54:33 What do you say? I was made in New York, but I've discovered 54:38 the good news; I'm made for the New Jerusalem. 54:40 I'm not going back, I'm going forward. 54:43 I thank God for the efforts of the Red Cross. 54:46 But I want to tell you today, I thank God even more for 54:48 the old rugged cross. 54:50 The storms are taking toll. 54:53 They're taking lives. 54:55 They're battering homes. 54:56 They're battering lives. 54:58 But no matter how perfect the storm, Jesus Christ is still 55:02 our shelter in the time of storm. 55:07 So today we begin this week of prayer by letting the world know 55:12 that relief efforts are on the way. 55:14 The angels are polishing their wings getting ready to 55:18 come and take us home. 55:20 The Lord is about to take off His ministry robe and put on 55:23 that final warriors robe, to do that final battle with Satan 55:27 to deliver His people from this planet of storms. 55:30 It's in this crisis hour that the people of God need to wake 55:34 up, and stand up, and fill up, and speak up. 55:42 But we also have to be prayed up. 55:45 So right now I want to ask you to bow your heads with me 55:49 that in the time of this storm, we can have wisdom enough 55:52 to turn to a God who asks us to turn away from man, 55:56 and turn our hearts to Him in the time of the perfect storm. 56:00 Our Heavenly Father, we look to You in this very crisis hour. 56:05 And our hearts go out to those in the northeast, 56:08 not just in New York and New Jersey, but in Connecticut, 56:12 and in Boston, and in Virginia, and in Maryland. 56:15 And, Lord, we look at how helpless man really is. 56:19 How exposed they become when nature shows us how out of 56:25 control we really are. 56:27 We understand that the cities are places of sin. 56:30 But, Lord, there are many that You love that are still in these 56:32 major cities whose lives are yet to be snatched from 56:37 the hand of the wicked one. 56:39 And so as we begin this week of spiritual emphasis, 56:43 as we begin this week of refocus, we pray that we not 56:47 just be stimulated, but that we truly wake up, we stand up, 56:53 we pray to be filled up, and we pray that You'll 56:57 cause us to speak up. 56:58 And, Father, right now as we pray for our leaders that are 57:03 speaking in various pulpits around the world. 57:05 We pray that we can also know that because of the storms 57:08 one day we will be able to look up and say, Lo this is our God. 57:14 We have waited for Him, and He will save us. 57:18 May that be our desire is my prayer. 57:21 In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. 57:24 May the Lord bless you as we continue this week, 57:28 in the presence of God, and in spiritual emphasis. 57:31 God bless you. Amen? Amen! 57:35 One down, eight to go. |
Revised 2017-03-22