Participants: John Dinzey
Series Code: WOFP
Program Code: WOFP000004
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00:22 Good evening. Good evening.
00:24 And good evening to you, friends, 00:26 those of you who are watching us on television, 00:28 the internet, or listening on the radio, 00:32 or perhaps your local church is broadcasting this event 00:35 and you're watching us from there. 00:37 My name is Deyvy Rodriguez, 00:38 and I'm part of 3ABN's pastoral staff. 00:41 And whether you are watching us from the United States 00:43 or anywhere else in the world, 00:45 we welcome you to our third night 00:48 of 3ABN's Week of Prayer. 00:50 We have been blessed, haven't we? 00:53 And we will be continued to be blessed tonight 00:56 as we continue listen to inspirational messages 01:00 from various speakers. 01:02 But before we do, 01:03 I like to suggest that Week of Prayer 01:07 isn't really Week of Prayer without prayers, 01:10 would you agree? 01:12 You know, each night, we have been praying 01:14 for a particular subject or topic 01:17 and each one has been very important. 01:22 And tonight, I want to say 01:24 that what we are praying for 01:27 is going to be even most important. 01:29 You know, Jesus said that the Son of Man came to seek 01:33 and save that which was lost. 01:37 Tonight, we will be praying for lost souls, 01:41 souls who are still in darkness, 01:44 souls who are discouraged, 01:47 former church members. 01:48 We are praying for those who lost their first love. 01:52 We're praying for those Laodicean Christians, 01:56 those who need a little spiritual joy 02:00 in their lives. 02:01 You know, the Lord said, 02:03 "If my people humble themselves and pray," 02:07 there is a condition to God's promises. 02:09 He said if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us. 02:14 You know, Jesus summarizes the lost 02:17 into three different categories 02:20 with three different parables in Luke 15. 02:24 And He says the parable of the Lost Sheep. 02:29 And this parable represents those who are lost, 02:34 they know that they're lost, 02:37 but they can't find their way back. 02:40 The second parable in Luke 15 talks about the Lost Coin. 02:45 This parable represents those who are lost, 02:48 but they don't know that they're lost. 02:51 And the other parable is the Lost Son 02:54 or the Prodigal Son as we know it. 02:57 And this represents those who are lost, 03:00 they know they are lost, 03:03 they know their way back 03:05 but they don't want to return. 03:09 Perhaps you know someone in one of these categories, 03:12 someone you love, someone very close to you, 03:14 a family member, a friend, a neighbor, a relative. 03:18 We are praying for that person, 03:20 or perhaps I want to say 03:22 that maybe you yourself are in one of these categories... 03:26 You've had a passion for the Lord before, 03:29 there was a burning fire for Jesus 03:31 but now you come to church 03:33 and things seem to be in vain. 03:36 Your heart is empty, you are unhappy, 03:38 but we are praying for you too. 03:42 We want to say 03:43 that we have a prayer line open tonight 03:46 and there will be somebody praying for you. 03:48 If you call our prayer line, 03:49 the number will be appearing on the screen right now 03:52 and that number is 618-627-4651. 03:58 You can press 1 after you hear message 04:00 and someone... 04:01 a person will be praying for you, 04:04 we'll be praying with you. 04:06 That number again is 618-627-4651, 04:11 press 1 after you hear a message, 04:13 or you can email us your prayer request 04:17 at prayer@3abn.org. 04:21 Once again, prayer@3abn.org. 04:24 And we'll certainly be praying for those requests. 04:27 Why don't you join me in prayer? 04:31 Precious heavenly Father, Lord, this evening, 04:33 we humble ourselves before You 04:36 and we thank You, Lord, 04:37 because despite of who we are, 04:40 You never change. 04:41 We thank You, Lord, for the mission of Christ 04:43 that He came to seek and save that which was lost. 04:49 And, Lord, I believe that Jesus is still 04:51 in the business of saving the lost. 04:54 Lord, I believe that Jesus has not yet returned 04:59 because of God's patience towards each one of us. 05:04 Father, I believe that His patience 05:06 is for our salvation as the Bible says. 05:09 And, Lord, we thank You 05:11 because Your patience is still today, 05:14 there's still grace and we're asking, Lord, 05:17 for anyone who has not yet given their life to Christ, 05:21 or still walking in darkness. 05:24 We're praying, Lord, that Your Holy Spirit 05:26 can touch their hearts, can speak to them. 05:30 And, Father, I don't believe in coincidences, 05:32 I believe in divine appointments. 05:35 And, Lord, perhaps there is someone right now 05:36 who was flipping through the channels 05:39 and going through the political news, 05:42 listening on the radio 05:43 and suddenly came across this channel tonight, 05:46 I want to say that the Holy Spirit 05:48 is speaking to this person right now. 05:50 Lord, we don't know if this is the last call 05:54 that this Holy Spirit will make to this person, 05:56 for we don't know what is of tomorrow. 05:59 We're praying for these people, Lord. 06:01 We're praying for all the Christians around the world 06:04 who need to recommit their lives to Jesus. 06:08 We also ask, Lord, for a special blessing 06:11 upon the speaker tonight as he brings the message. 06:14 And we ask it in Jesus' name, Amen. 06:19 Our speaker tonight is John Dinzey, 06:21 he is the general manager of Tres ABEN in Latino. 06:26 You probably caught the Latino part, 06:28 that is 3ABN, Latino. 06:30 And his message is revived 06:32 and ready to cross the word of God 06:34 and the Jordan River. 06:37 But before we do, we like to be blessed 06:39 with a special musical offering 06:41 from the Pillars hymn CD by Yvonne Lewis, 06:45 and that song is titled "In Christ Alone". 07:05 In Christ alone 07:08 My hope is found 07:11 He is my light, my strength, my song 07:16 This cornerstone, this solid ground 07:21 Firm through the fiercest drought and storm 07:26 What heights of love, 07:29 What depths of peace 07:31 When fears are stilled, and strivings cease! 07:37 My comforter, my all in all 07:42 Here in the love of Christ 07:45 I stand 07:54 In Christ alone, 07:57 Who took on flesh 08:00 Fullness of God in helpless babe! 08:05 This gift of love and righteousness 08:10 Scorned by the ones He came to save 08:16 Till on that cross as Jesus died 08:21 The wrath of God was satisfied 08:26 For every sin on Him was laid 08:32 Here in the death of Christ I live 08:57 There in the ground His body lay 09:03 Light of the world by darkness slain 09:07 Then bursting forth in glorious day 09:13 Up from the grave He rose again 09:18 And as He stands in victory 09:23 Sin's curse has lost its grip on me 09:29 For I am His and He is mine 09:34 Bought with the precious blood of Christ 09:47 No guilt in life, no fear in death 09:52 This is the power of Christ in me 09:57 From life's first cry to final breath 10:03 Jesus commands my destiny 10:08 No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man 10:13 Can ever pluck me from His hand 10:21 Till He returns to take me home 10:26 Here in the pow'r of Christ 10:29 I'll stand No power of hell, 10:34 No scheme of man 10:36 Can ever pluck me from His hand 10:47 Here in the pow'r of Christ 10:54 I'll stand 11:10 Amen, praise the Lord. 11:12 We praise the Lord for the talent 11:14 He gives to His children 11:16 and that message, 11:17 it's all that we can say in this program, 11:20 "In Christ alone", Christ alone. 11:23 Well, it's a pleasure for me to study God's word with you. 11:26 I would like to invite you to pray 11:27 at this time once again. 11:29 I know we prayed, but I would like to approach 11:31 the Lord in prayer again. 11:32 I'm gonna kneel and I'm gonna ask for you to pray for me. 11:35 And let's pray for each other 11:36 as we ask for the Lord's blessing. 11:42 Our loving heavenly Father, 11:45 we thank You so much, Lord, that we can trust in You. 11:49 And, Lord, in this moment, I humble myself before You, 11:54 and I give myself unto You, 11:56 and I surrender to You, Lord, 11:58 that You may do according to Your good pleasure. 12:02 I pray that Your Holy Spirit will be poured out. 12:05 I place myself in Your hands 12:06 that Your name may be glorified 12:09 and that Your words may be spoken. 12:10 We pray, Father, that You will give us 12:12 a message from heaven. 12:15 And we ask it in Jesus' name. 12:17 Amen. Amen. 12:21 The people of Israel were before 12:23 the borders of the Promised Land. 12:26 And Moses was told by God 12:29 to choose one person from each tribe 12:34 to go and spy out the land. 12:37 And so it was that they went 12:39 and spent 40 days spying out this land. 12:43 This was the land of promise, 12:45 a land that flowed with milk and honey. 12:48 And if you considered, 12:49 the people of Israel had been in bondage 12:52 for 400 years, 12:54 400 years of suffering. 12:56 And now, God brought them to a land that He promised, 13:00 telling them, "This is the land that I have for you." 13:04 Wouldn't you want to go to the land 13:06 that the Lord has for you? 13:07 Would you say amen to that? Amen. 13:09 Oh, yes, and there they were. 13:10 The moment had come and the spies, 13:13 they were anticipating the moment to hear 13:15 the report of the spies. 13:17 And I can almost see the people 13:19 that as they saw them coming 13:21 and saw what they were bringing, 13:23 they got excited, Hey, 13:25 this land has things that we could use. 13:27 We've been eating manna for a long time 13:29 but now, they came with grapes, 13:34 and pomegranates, and figs. 13:36 And if you consider there, 13:39 the invitation of the Lord was from Numbers 13. 13:42 And there in Numbers 13:23, it says, 13:46 "And they came unto the brook of Eshcol, 13:49 and cut down from thence a branch 13:51 with one cluster of grapes, 13:53 and they bare between two upon a staff," 13:56 that's how big it was, 13:57 "and they brought of the pomegranates, 13:59 and of the figs." 14:01 And they told him, and said, 14:02 "We came into the land whither thou sent us, 14:05 and surely, it floweth with milk and honey, 14:09 and this is the fruit of it." 14:12 Oh, there was excitement in the camp 14:14 as they saw these, the fruits. 14:17 Now, they went from good news to bad news. 14:22 And the bad news starts 14:25 in Numbers 13:28. 14:28 "Nevertheless the people be strong 14:31 that dwell in the land, 14:33 and the cities are walled, and very great, 14:37 and moreover we saw the children of Anak there." 14:40 And so once they started hearing those things, 14:43 fear came upon the people 14:44 because the children of Anak were giants. 14:48 So now, they're envisioning giants, 14:50 and walls, cities, 14:53 an obstacle too great for them to overcome 14:56 from the human standpoint. 14:59 And when we look from the human standpoint, 15:01 with human eyes, 15:02 things can seem out of reach for us, 15:06 but not all were 15:09 in that same category of bad news. 15:13 They continued by saying, 15:15 "The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south, 15:16 and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, 15:19 and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains, 15:21 and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, 15:23 and by the coast of Jordan." 15:26 It's like we have no hope to get in there. 15:30 And Numbers 13:30 says, 15:32 "And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, 15:36 Let us go up at once, and possess it, 15:39 for we are well able to overcome it." 15:42 And so it was a bold, 15:45 courageous statement of faith, 15:47 "We are well able to possess it." 15:51 And when God goes before us, 15:53 they had heard the promise that the God said, 15:56 "I'm gonna give you a land 15:58 that flows with milk and honey." 16:00 So they took God at His word. 16:02 "We can go and possess this land." 16:06 Unfortunately, 16:08 when they were outnumbered, 16:09 ten against two, 16:14 the people feared... 16:16 And if you look at Numbers 14... 16:20 Actually, I would like to read Numbers 13:32, 16:23 so you can see 16:24 how they even went a little further 16:27 with what their statements were. 16:28 "And they brought up an evil report of the land 16:31 which they had searched 16:32 unto the children of Israel, saying, "The land, 16:35 through which we have gone to search it, 16:37 is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof, 16:40 and all the people that we saw are men of great stature. 16:44 And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, 16:47 which come of the giants, 16:48 and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, 16:53 and so we were in their sight."' 16:55 And it was a terrible thing to hear. 16:57 All their hopes they had put on this report 17:01 and now they're hearing 17:02 there are giants in the land, there are... 17:05 "And it's terrible, we can't go there, 17:07 let's not do this, this is terrible." 17:10 And their hopes were dashed as we hear. 17:14 Now when you go into Numbers 14, 17:18 it just gets worse and worse. 17:20 Notice what Numbers 14:1, 17:23 "And all the congregation lifted up their voice, 17:26 and cried, 17:27 and the people wept 17:30 that night." 17:32 And so it was that all night, 17:36 the people were crying and wailing 17:39 about what they came back with. 17:43 And they even said, 17:44 "Would to God that we had died 17:46 in the land of Egypt, 17:48 or died in the wilderness!" 17:51 And so in Numbers 14:4, 17:55 they even boldly said, 17:59 "And they said one to another, 18:00 "Let us make a captain, 18:02 and let us return into Egypt."' 18:05 What was in Egypt for them? 18:08 Slavery! 18:09 They prefer to go back to that 18:11 rather than do God's will. 18:15 This is how fearful they were. 18:18 And it's wonderful to hear 18:21 that even though they heard 18:23 these reports, Caleb and Joshua, 18:25 and they were not discouraged. 18:27 They didn't despair. 18:29 Once again, they're making appeal, 18:32 and there in 14:7, 18:34 "And they spake unto 18:35 all the company of the children of Israel, 18:37 saying, "The land, 18:39 which we passed through to search it, 18:40 is an exceedingly good land. 18:44 If the Lord delight in us, 18:46 then he will bring us into this land, 18:48 and he give it to us, a land 18:50 which flows with milk and honey. 18:53 Only rebel not against the Lord, 18:56 neither fear ye the people of the land, 18:58 for they are bread for us. 19:03 Their defense is departed from them, 19:04 and the Lord is with us, fear them not." 19:07 Unfortunately, if you keep reading, 19:09 you will see that the people, 19:11 it's like they heard nothing. 19:13 They started to grab stones 19:14 to stone God's messengers. 19:18 And I wonder, if today, sometimes, 19:20 when God's messengers come to deliver a message, 19:25 sometimes the members, the people want to stone them. 19:29 And they don't sometimes pick up literal stones, 19:32 sometimes words are used 19:34 to try to destroy God's messenger 19:36 and discredit the messenger. 19:38 When the messenger comes from a message from God, 19:43 it's not the messenger you're discrediting, it's God. 19:47 And so we must be careful when we hear a message, 19:51 and let us be careful not to dismiss it 19:55 as though it was a message from man. 19:57 If there's a "Thus saith the Lord," 19:59 and it's biblical, 20:00 we need to hear it and we need to follow it. 20:02 Amen? Amen. 20:05 Unfortunately, the people 20:06 did not want to hear God's message 20:08 and God told them that after every single day, 20:12 they were in their spying of the land, 40 days, 20:15 you're now gonna have to wander for 40 years 20:18 around this wilderness. 20:20 God was willing to take them into the Promised Land. 20:24 I mean, they could just taste it. 20:26 They could almost smell it, 20:27 and when they bring all these things to them, 20:32 they could almost taste it. 20:35 So close, and unfortunately as they say so far, 20:40 because their heart was not ready. 20:41 Unbelief overtook them. 20:45 And I'm sorry to say that it is because of unbelief 20:49 that we are still here in this world. 20:54 God has told us, 20:57 "Go, ye, and preach the gospel to all the world." 21:01 But unbelief, the cares of this world, 21:04 the things of this world have God's people 21:08 almost in a stupor 21:11 as mummified. 21:14 And Satan is gaining ground upon God's people, 21:18 and God's people need to awake 21:20 because we are on the borders 21:22 of the Promised Land. 21:26 If you keep reading, we're not gonna dwell on that, 21:28 the people after they heard what God said 21:30 that you're gonna have to wander around for 40 years, 21:33 the next morning, all of a sudden, 21:34 they had courage they did not have before. 21:37 "Let's go in there and takeover this country. 21:39 We can do it. Let's do it, let's do it." 21:41 And Moses said, "Don't do this, don't do this. 21:44 God is not with you, don't do it." 21:47 And they went anyway and unfortunately, 21:50 they were defeated. 21:51 They were defeated. 21:53 But now, let's fast forward to the time 21:56 when Joshua 21:59 is made leader of the people of Israel. 22:01 Moses had died, 22:03 and God chose Joshua 22:06 to lead the people of Israel. 22:11 And if you look at Joshua's name, 22:14 it means Yahweh saves. 22:18 There is salvation in God. 22:22 That's what his name means. 22:24 And God chose Joshua 22:25 to lead the people of Israel 22:27 across the River Jordan. 22:30 Forty years before, 22:32 they were fearful to go in. 22:36 And once again, two spies are sent in, 22:41 and they come back, 22:43 and they said, "The people are already afraid of us. 22:46 We can go over and take this place over. 22:49 The people are afraid of us." 22:51 And so it was that 22:54 all the people 22:56 that were fearful in unbelief 22:59 died in the wilderness. 23:00 They did not have the blessing 23:02 of entering the Promised Land. 23:07 So close and yet so far. 23:10 There's a statement in the book, 23:12 Steps to Christ. 23:14 I didn't think of quoting it, 23:15 but it goes something like this. 23:17 "Many people will perish 23:21 wishing and wanting to be Christians," 23:24 but they do not make a decision to be Christians. 23:29 They don't follow through with their desire, 23:33 and they will perish 23:35 because they don't choose to follow Jesus, 23:38 they don't take of their cross and follow Jesus, 23:40 they don't believe unto salvation. 23:45 Still though, we must carry the message 23:48 to every corner of the world. 23:50 The Bible says that the message is gonna go to every kindred, 23:54 tongue, and people. 23:55 And I praise the Lord for 3ABN. 23:57 I've told this many times. 23:59 My wife hears it while we go to different places. 24:02 I rejoice to know 24:05 that when I go to bed at night, 24:08 the gospel is being preached on 3ABN. 24:11 Other channels are doing it, 24:13 but I rejoice to know 24:14 that I'm going to bed and perhaps during the night, 24:17 many came to Jesus Christ 24:19 because the message on 3ABN never stops. 24:23 The message must go out every minute of the day 24:25 because time is short. 24:30 In Joshua 1:5, God promises to Joshua, 24:34 "There shall not any man 24:38 be able to stand before thee 24:41 all the days of thy life. 24:43 As I was with Moses, so I will be with thee. 24:47 I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee." 24:51 Verse 6, "Be strong and of good courage, 24:54 for unto this people 24:55 shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, 24:58 which I sware unto the fathers to give them." 25:02 Verse 7, "Only be thou strong and very courageous, 25:06 that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, 25:11 which Moses my servant commanded thee. 25:14 Turn not from it to the right hand 25:17 nor to the left, 25:18 that thou mayest prosper withersoever thou goest." 25:22 And what God says to Joshua, He says to us. 25:25 "I will be with you. 25:27 Be strong and of good courage." 25:32 God promises the same thing to us. 25:35 Consider the message of Jesus. 25:36 He said to His disciples, 25:37 "Lo, I will be with you always, 25:41 even unto the end of the world." 25:43 There's no break in time when Jesus said, 25:45 "I won't be with you on Sunday mornings. 25:48 I won't be with you on Monday when you go to work. 25:51 No, I will be with you always, 25:53 even unto the end of the world." 25:54 So we can go with confidence that wherever we go, 25:59 God will be with us. 26:01 And so it is that God's people today 26:04 have a never failing leader 26:08 in Jesus Christ. 26:12 And so in Joshua 26:16 3:5, 26:20 God sends a message 26:22 to the people of Israel through Joshua. 26:25 In Joshua 3:5, God says, 26:27 "And Joshua said unto the people, 26:30 "Sanctify yourselves, 26:33 for tomorrow the Lord 26:35 will do wonders among you."" 26:39 Praise the Lord. 26:41 Isn't that good news? 26:44 But before the Lord does wonders among you, 26:47 you must sanctify yourself. 26:50 What does that mean to sanctify yourself? 26:53 To sanctify means to set apart. 26:55 So yourself, you're setting yourself 26:57 apart from evil. 27:01 That's why you see in Isaiah 1, God tells the people, 27:04 and I marvel at Isaiah 1. 27:07 I want to pause for a moment 27:10 in our study and go to Isaiah 1, 27:13 because I want to highlight again God's mercy. 27:17 In Isaiah 1, 27:19 we have a message from God 27:22 that helps us understand 27:24 the magnitude of His mercy. 27:28 Notice in Isaiah 1:4. 27:32 I'm gonna read a few verses here 27:33 and there in Isaiah 1, 27:34 so you can see the condition 27:36 of the people of Israel at that time, 27:40 which maybe the condition of His children today. 27:44 Verse 4, "Ah, sinful nation, 27:48 a people laden with iniquity, 27:50 a seed of evildoers, 27:52 children that are corrupters, 27:55 they have forsaken the Lord, 27:57 they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, 28:01 they are gone away backward." 28:04 Is there any of that today? 28:06 Yes, there is. 28:08 Verse 5, "Why should ye be stricken any more? 28:12 Ye will revolt more and more, the whole head is sick, 28:15 and the whole heart faint." 28:17 Notice verse 6, 28:19 "From the sole of the foot even unto the head, 28:22 there is no soundness in it, 28:24 but wounds, and bruises, 28:26 and putrifying sores, they have not been closed, 28:31 neither bound up, 28:32 neither mollified with ointment." 28:34 And so that's the condition of the people, 28:36 that's how horrible they were, 28:37 from the sole of the foot to the head, 28:40 wickedness, evil, 28:42 laden with iniquity. 28:44 And you would think God would say, "You just... 28:49 There's no hope for you. 28:50 I'm sorry." And walk away. 28:52 But no, when you continue reading in verse 16, 28:56 you have this invitation from the Lord, 28:59 "Wash you, make you clean, 29:03 put away the evil of your doings 29:05 from before mine eyes, cease to do evil. 29:08 Learn to do well, 29:10 seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, 29:13 judge the fatherless, plead for the widow." 29:16 "Come now, and let us reason together," saith the Lord, 29:20 "though your sins be as scarlet, 29:21 they shall be as white as snow, 29:24 though they be red like crimson, 29:25 they shall be as wool." 29:28 Notice verse 19, 29:30 "If ye be willing and obedient, 29:34 ye shall eat of the good of the land." 29:38 Praise the Lord. 29:40 This is the message for God's people today. 29:42 You know, it's unfortunate 29:44 that there are those preaching out there 29:47 that they say, "The Ten Commandments, 29:48 you don't have to obey those, 29:50 they were nailed to the cross." 29:54 And I ask, 29:55 "What was it that put us 29:58 in this terrible condition that we're in." 30:00 Was it obedience or disobedience? 30:03 Adam and Eve disobeyed. 30:06 God is not gonna bring people into heaven 30:08 that are going to turn their backs on His law. 30:11 God is not gonna bring people that are willing to say 30:13 Your law has been put away. 30:16 That's like saying, 30:17 we can do whatever we want. 30:20 There is no restraint, there is no limit. 30:25 Unfortunately, somebody 30:26 has taken that a little further. 30:30 And there is an individual 30:31 that claims to be Jesus Christ 30:32 and He said... 30:34 He doesn't even say there is no law. 30:36 He says, "There is no sin. Sin doesn't exist anymore." 30:39 So, he is not only throwing away the law, 30:42 he says, there is no sin. 30:44 There is nothing to judge by which there is sin. 30:47 And unfortunately, hundreds of people, 30:50 thousands of people are following this guy. 30:54 And it's sad to see 30:56 that even people are turning 31:00 their backs on the Bible. 31:03 When we have Jesus telling His children, 31:06 "If you love Me, 31:08 keep My commandments." 31:11 What do we have here in Isaiah 1? 31:14 "If you be willing and obedient, 31:16 you will eat of the good of the land." 31:19 And praise the Lord that the Promised Land, 31:23 there is gonna be a lot of good there. 31:27 I praise the Lord, my wife is a great cook. 31:31 But when we get to heaven, 31:35 everything is gonna taste good. 31:37 Nothing will be burned, nothing will be salty. 31:39 "Oh, I can't eat this." 31:40 No, everything delicious. 31:46 I think, we gotta have a little taste of heaven 31:47 before we get there. 31:50 Let's go back to Joshua 31:52 and the people of Israel. 31:56 In Joshua 5:14, 31:59 Joshua encounters an individual 32:02 and he said, "Who are you? 32:03 Are you for us or against us?" 32:06 Joshua was ready to fight 32:08 but there in Joshua 5:14, 32:11 and he said, "Nay, 32:15 but as captain of the host of the Lord 32:17 am I now come. 32:20 And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, 32:22 and did worship, 32:23 and said unto him, 32:25 what saith my Lord unto His servant?" 32:28 Now, here we have Joshua 32:30 worshiping this person, 32:32 which we must understand that it is... 32:35 it must be Jesus. 32:38 Because we have in the Book of Revelation, 32:40 John the Baptist, uh, John the disciple 32:43 about to bow down to an angel 32:46 and the angel says, "Don't do it. 32:48 Don't do it. 32:50 I am a fellow servant, worship God." 32:54 And here Joshua is rightfully worshiping God, 32:58 yes, He didn't have... 32:59 Jesus didn't have the name of Jesus at this time 33:01 but there He is, 33:04 presenting Himself as captain of the host of the Lord, 33:07 "Am I now come," He says in Joshua 5:14. 33:10 "Joshua fell on his face to the earth, 33:12 and did worship, and said unto him, 33:13 what saith my Lord unto His servant?" 33:15 And verse 15, "And the captain of the Lord's host 33:18 said unto Joshua, 33:20 Loose thy shoe from off thy foot, 33:22 for the place 33:23 whereon thou standest is holy. 33:26 And Joshua did so." 33:28 And so it was that he was instructed 33:30 as to how he should lead the people 33:33 and it was going to be a magnificent victory. 33:36 The people were going to see 33:38 that it was not by might nor by power 33:41 but by God's power that it was going to happen. 33:44 So that no man can come walking away, "I did it. 33:47 I slain 500 men. 33:49 I just took my sword and cut and slashed and..." 33:54 No. 33:56 Like him, I don't know, 33:58 I'm sure you'd imagine the same thing 34:00 that as they saw the people of Israel 34:03 marching around the walls. 34:04 What's going on with those people? 34:07 And they go around the wall once 34:10 and they go back home. 34:12 "Huh, what? We thought we were gonna fight." 34:14 Next day, "Here they come again, 34:15 get ready, get ready." 34:17 And there they come marching, 34:20 marching 34:22 and again they go back home. 34:24 "Oh, that's strange. What's wrong with these people? 34:26 Maybe they are afraid of us." 34:28 And the third day, they come back again, 34:30 six days, the same thing. 34:33 And I'm sure, after a while they started poking fun at them 34:37 and... 34:39 but they didn't know 34:41 that God was preparing these people 34:44 for a great victory. 34:48 A great victory was about to take place. 34:51 And when we read in Joshua 6:2, 34:54 they were instructed to do this. 34:56 "And the Lord said unto Joshua, See, 34:58 I have given into thine hand Jericho, 35:02 and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valor. 35:05 And ye shall compass the city, 35:07 all ye men of war, 35:08 and go round about the city once. 35:11 Thus shalt thou 35:12 do six days." 35:16 And verse 4, "And seven priests shall bear 35:19 before the ark seven trumpets of ram's horns: 35:22 and the seventh day 35:25 ye shall compass the city seven times, 35:29 and the priests shall blow with the trumpets. 35:32 And it shall come to pass, 35:34 that when they make a long blast 35:35 with the ram's horn, 35:37 and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, 35:39 all the people shall shout with a great shout, 35:42 and the wall of the city 35:45 shall fall down flat, 35:47 and the people shall ascend up 35:49 every man straight up before him." 35:51 It was a simple plan, it sounded simple. 35:55 But you must understand 35:58 that now, there was no unbelief. 36:00 These people... 36:02 That's what we have to do, let's do it. 36:05 And so, on that seventh day, 36:07 when the people come and they go, 36:09 "Well, there they go again. 36:10 Well, they are gonna go home again, it's gonna be, 36:12 you know, the same thing." 36:13 And they go around again, "Wait, this is the second time. 36:16 Something different is happening." 36:18 And they did exactly as the Lord instructed them. 36:23 And so it was that those fortified walls, 36:26 those walls that they had such confidence in, 36:29 those walls they thought nobody could reach us up here, 36:32 we are safe. 36:34 They had no idea 36:36 that there is no wall that man can build 36:38 that God cannot bring down. 36:44 Whether it be a physical wall 36:47 or a spiritual wall. 36:50 There is no wall that God cannot tear down. 36:53 There is no person 36:55 that cannot be changed 36:56 by God's molding influence 36:58 save that person's choice. 37:02 We have heard stories on 3ABN of people 37:06 that were considered mean, 37:09 wicked people. 37:11 While there was a man in this area 37:13 that was called the meanest man in Macedonia. 37:16 Some of you remember him still, I'm sure Danny remembers him. 37:19 The meanest man in Macedonia. 37:23 And this man gave his heart to Jesus 37:27 and he was like a lamb. 37:29 Praise the Lord. 37:31 God can change anyone that gives their heart to Him. 37:35 And I want to encourage you 37:36 who are watching 3ABN right now, 37:38 who are listening to 3ABN radio 37:42 that if you place yourself 37:44 in the hands of the Lord, 37:45 He can change you. 37:48 He will change you if you are willing, 37:51 if you will cooperate with Him, 37:53 He will transform you 37:56 into the likeness of Jesus Christ. 37:59 And we hear story after story of people 38:03 that have marveled at changes. 38:06 A story comes to mind right now. 38:08 Jose from San Juan, Puerto Rico. 38:11 He was a gang leader, 38:12 he was a drug addict. 38:14 He used to sell drugs in the streets. 38:18 They thought, he was either gonna die young 38:20 or windup in jail for the rest of his life. 38:25 He began to watch 3ABN... 38:29 and a change began to take place. 38:33 And Jose was making changes in his life. 38:37 It is little interesting, this story. 38:41 He began to... 38:43 he put 3ABN's number 38:45 in his cell phone 38:48 and Jose had a very jealous girlfriend. 38:53 So, when she saw this number 3ABN, 38:57 she said, "It must be a girl. 39:01 I wonder who this woman, this girl 3ABN is." 39:05 And so, when he wasn't looking, 39:06 she erased the number. 39:10 The next time Jose tries to call 3ABN 39:12 and couldn't find it, 39:13 he had to go to the TV and once again put it in. 39:17 What happened to it? 39:18 Didn't know that his girlfriend erased it. 39:22 So, once again that number is there and his girlfriend 39:24 when he wasn't looking starts looking. 39:26 There is that woman, that girl 3ABN again, 39:30 erases it. 39:31 The third time it appears, 39:33 she said, "Okay, Jose, who is this girl 3ABN? 39:38 Must be a secret code for some girl, 39:40 what's her real name? 39:41 Do I know her?" 39:43 "No, that's a TV, a Christian television station." 39:46 "Oh, now you are gonna tell me, 39:47 you are watching Christian television?" 39:50 "Oh, yes. Come and see." 39:53 And he showed her 3ABN, 39:57 looked at the number, compared it to the screen, 40:00 "What are you doing watching Christian television?" 40:03 "Oh, no, I'm giving up all the bad things I'm doing. 40:06 I'm not doing anymore drugs, I'm not drinking. 40:08 I'm just... I want to change. 40:10 I can't live like I'm living." 40:12 She was amazed. 40:14 And Idalia and I had the privilege of meeting 40:16 Jose and his girlfriend 40:17 in a Seventh-day Adventist Church in Bayamon, 40:19 Puerto Rico. 40:20 Transformed but before that 40:23 it was a joy to anticipate meeting him. 40:27 I walked into Dallas office one day 40:29 and she was excited, 40:30 "Come, come, I'm talking to Jose's mother." 40:33 I didn't connect, Jose, Jose's mother, 40:35 which, what, is it Jose Medina? 40:36 We had a pastor Jose Medina working at 3... 40:39 Jose who? 40:41 And as I heard, I realized 40:43 she is talking to the guy in Puerto Rico. 40:46 And that lady got on the phone, the mother, 40:50 and she said this, 40:53 "I can tell you that the change is real. 40:58 I see him studying his Bible for hours. 41:01 I see him on his knees 41:03 up to 45 minutes praying. 41:06 And the change in my son is real." 41:10 And I said, "Praise the Lord, 41:11 God can change anyone 41:13 that allows God to change him." 41:17 Only Jesus, only Him, 41:21 in God alone. 41:24 And so it was that the walls came down 41:27 and the people of Israel, 41:29 you continue reading, 41:30 they went into the Promised Land. 41:34 Praise the Lord. 41:36 Praise the Lord. 41:38 Joshua was able to say, 41:39 "All that the Lord has promised, 41:42 He has fulfilled." 41:46 Every single promise fulfilled. 41:50 And in God's children even today, 41:52 God is willing to fulfill every single promise. 41:57 That's God's love and mercy. 41:59 That's the way He is. 42:03 And so today, I ask you, 42:06 are there walls of Jericho around you? 42:11 Are there walls of Jericho? 42:13 God can bring them down. 42:15 God can destroy them. 42:18 God can give you a new beginning. 42:21 But talking about the people of God in today's world, 42:25 we see that signs indicate 42:28 that Jesus Christ is coming soon. 42:31 I met a gentleman this week from Argentina. 42:36 Him and his wife watch 3ABN in Argentina. 42:40 And I don't know, she may be the champion of people 42:42 copying DVD's to give to other people. 42:47 They copy the programming and they pass it out to people 42:50 and she was rejoicing telling us this. 42:53 It was amazing. 42:55 And her husband told me this story and I said, 43:00 "I have to take this story because I want to remember it. 43:03 And he said, one day on a Sabbath afternoon 43:06 he was resting. 43:07 Some people rest on Sabbath afternoon. 43:11 And he said that he was awaken 43:13 by a voice that said to him, 43:18 "Jesus Christ is coming sooner than you think." 43:23 And he woke up, 43:25 listened to see if there was anymore information, anymore. 43:30 And he said that was the message 43:31 that God gave him, 43:33 "Jesus Christ is coming sooner than you think." 43:37 And I say to God's people today, 43:39 "Jesus Christ is coming sooner than you think." 43:43 So it is high time for God's people to awaken 43:45 and take up the job that God has given you to do. 43:49 Take up the mission that God has given you to do. 43:51 What is it? 43:53 God will show you. 43:54 He may have already shown you. 43:57 Go forward in faith, as He promised to Joshua, 44:01 He promises to us, "I will be with you, 44:04 be strong and of good courage. 44:06 Do not be dismayed, the Lord will go before you." 44:10 Praise His name. 44:12 I want to share some scriptures with you 44:14 that you've read before 44:16 but we need to read them 44:18 because they tell us 44:20 of the wonderful things of God's Word. 44:24 In Hebrews 11:13, notice these words, 44:29 "These all died in faith, 44:31 not having received the promises, 44:33 but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, 44:37 and embraced them, and confessed 44:40 that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth." 44:46 Are you a stranger and a pilgrim on this earth? 44:50 I hope so, 44:51 because this is not 44:54 the final destination of God's children. 44:56 God has a better world for us. 44:59 Remember the words of Jesus, John 14:1-3. 45:03 "Let not your heart be troubled: 45:06 ye believe in God, believe also in me. 45:10 In my Father's house are many mansions: 45:13 if it were not so, I would have told you. 45:16 I go to prepare a place for you. 45:18 And if I go and prepare a place for you, 45:20 I will come again, 45:22 and receive you unto myself, that where I am, 45:25 there ye may be also." 45:27 Isn't that good news? 45:28 He didn't say to disciples, "I'm sorry guys, 45:31 there are only a few mansions in there and only a few places. 45:36 There is only so much room, we can only, 45:39 we only have room for so many of you. 45:41 So, I'm sorry, you, you, you are not going but you can go. 45:44 Sorry, you can't go." 45:46 No. 45:47 Everyone that is willing can go. 45:51 And God promises not only heaven 45:55 but a new earth, renewed, 45:58 purified right here. 46:02 Amazing. 46:03 And God says, "I will be with them." 46:07 And it's beautiful, read it in Revelation 21. 46:10 In 1 Peter 2:11, I invite you to turn there. 46:14 1 Peter 2:11, 46:16 almost the same thing we read in Hebrews 11:13. 46:20 "Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, 46:26 abstain from fleshly lusts, 46:30 which war against the soul." 46:34 This is a message for God's people today. 46:37 "Abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul." 46:43 And so, it is that if there is a hundred sins 46:49 that can keep Jimmy out of salvation, 46:54 one sin can also keep you away from salvation. 47:01 Because if you cherish that sin, 47:02 if you love that sin more than God, 47:04 if you are unwilling to give it up, 47:09 then you disqualify yourself. 47:10 But the invitation is, 47:12 all that are willing come 47:15 and take of the water of life freely. 47:20 Freely. 47:22 In Hebrews 13:14, 47:26 it is a declaration. 47:28 "For here we have no continuing city, 47:32 but we seek the one to come." 47:35 Praise the Lord. 47:37 I have seen some good things in this world and mind you, 47:41 I would say that Thompsonville is a pretty good place to live. 47:44 Small but it's pretty good place to live. 47:46 There are the places that are nice to live. 47:51 But nowhere in this world are we really safe. 47:56 Nowhere. 48:01 Yes, God protects us 48:03 but God also said that, 48:07 "Many are the afflictions of the righteous 48:09 but the Lord delivers them from them all." 48:11 Praise the Lord. 48:13 It is not until we are transformed 48:17 in the twinkling of an eye 48:18 and Jesus comes and that we will be totally safe. 48:24 Here we had no continuing city. 48:27 We went to Chicago recently 48:30 and I used to live there. 48:32 And Idalia and I have said, 48:34 "Man, I can't live in this place anymore." 48:36 It's just, people everywhere, 48:38 crime and some nice places to visit 48:42 but it's not home. 48:45 And so in this world, you may have a nice... 48:49 a small home or a large home, 48:51 you may not even have a place that you call your own 48:54 but you have a place where you sleep, etc. 48:58 But as nice as that may be, 49:00 it cannot compare 49:02 with what God has for us. 49:07 So here we have no continuing city. 49:10 And if you are taking root in this world, 49:13 ask God to uproot you from this world 49:16 and follow Jesus. 49:20 And so, listen to these words 49:23 as it happened to the people of Israel. 49:28 Hebrews 3:17, 49:32 "But with whom was he grieved forty years? 49:35 Was it not with them that had sinned, 49:38 whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? 49:41 And to whom sware he 49:42 that they should not enter into his rest, 49:45 but to them that believed not? 49:49 So we see that they could not enter in 49:51 because of unbelief." 49:55 "Seeing therefore," Hebrews 4:6, 50:00 "Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, 50:05 and they to whom it was first preached entered not in 50:08 because of unbelief." 50:10 Hebrews 4:11, 50:12 "Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, 50:16 lest any man fall 50:18 after the same example of unbelief." 50:23 Yes, the Bible tells us of things 50:25 that have happened to God's people. 50:27 They are left to us as examples 50:31 so that we do not fall into the same trap. 50:35 And mind you, the Bible says 50:38 "Be sober, be vigilant for your adversary the devil," 50:43 does what? 50:46 "As a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." 50:50 So we are called up on to be sober and vigilant, 50:53 not to be relaxed and without any care. 50:58 But be concerned that the devil is trying to destroy you. 51:04 And so the best thing we could do 51:06 is listen to the words of Jesus. 51:08 "If any man will come after me, 51:11 let him take up his cross daily 51:14 and follow me every single day." 51:19 Jesus in Luke 12:29, He said, 51:24 "And seek not ye what ye shall eat, 51:28 or what ye shall drink neither be ye of doubtful mind. 51:31 For all these things do the nations 51:33 of the world seek after: 51:35 and your Father knows that you have 51:37 need of these things. 51:38 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God, 51:43 and all these things shall be added unto you." 51:48 Verse 32, 51:50 "Fear not, little flock, 51:52 for it is your Father's good pleasure 51:55 to give you the kingdom." 51:59 God is not trying to keep people out of heaven, 52:05 out of the New Jerusalem, 52:07 He is trying to bring them in. 52:11 He is seeking those that are lost 52:14 through His children on earth today. 52:17 He said, "I come to seek and to save 52:19 that which was lost." 52:21 And through you and I 52:23 and through you who are watching, listening, 52:25 God wants to save other people. 52:28 And by His grace we can bring the message 52:32 that they need to hear. 52:35 A message in season. 52:38 I'm sorry but I must share this story. 52:41 Actually, I'm not sorry. 52:45 It was a call that came in to 3ABN and the man said, 52:51 "I need your prayers 52:52 because in the court system today, 52:56 they are deciding whom to give our children 53:00 to because neither my wife nor I 53:02 have the capacity to take care of them. 53:04 And I am ashamed because I know better. 53:07 You see, I was raised a Christian," he said, 53:11 "And somehow the things of this world took me away. 53:17 And I am ashamed to say it drugs and alcohol." 53:21 And he said, "I think, 53:22 God is trying to get my attention." 53:25 And he said this, 53:27 "About three weeks ago, 53:28 I heard that my wife was with another man. 53:32 And so I was angry, 53:34 and I put my rifle in the pickup truck 53:36 and I said, "I'm gonna shoot them both." 53:37 And he was considering even shooting himself. 53:40 And so he was going very fast, driving on the road, 53:44 and unfortunately in a curve 53:46 his pickup truck turned over several times. 53:50 When the ambulance came, they were shocked. 53:55 And I'm sure, you've seen some of those vehicles in accidents, 53:57 you wonder how in the world 53:59 that anybody survive this thing. 54:01 And it was this way with this man 54:03 and I'm gonna call him Jim. 54:05 And he was there bleeding 54:07 but he was okay. 54:09 And one of the men from the ambulance said, 54:11 "Look at that, look at your pickup, mister. 54:15 It's destroyed, you shouldn't be alive." 54:20 He was a little drunk 54:21 but he reacted and looked at his pickup 54:24 and he realized that God saved his life. 54:29 And then he said this, that surprised me, he said, 54:33 "No, you know, how I got your phone number?" 54:36 Well, we always have our phone number on the screen. 54:39 Back then we used to put, 54:40 for prayer or questions call 1800-752-3226. 54:46 So I figured he saw it on the screen 54:48 or that someone gave it to him because we have that happened. 54:50 Some people call in for prayers 54:52 and say somebody gave me this number. 54:54 But he said this, 54:56 "I was watching a wicked channel," 54:59 I said, "A wicked channel? 55:01 Where is he going with this?" 55:02 "I was watching a wicked channel 55:05 and some how in the back 55:08 I started to see another channel appearing." 55:11 So it caught his attention, he began to go, 55:12 "What's going on?" 55:14 And he said, "The wicked channel 55:16 got weaker and weaker 55:17 and the other channel got stronger and stronger 55:19 until the wicked channel disappeared. 55:23 And all I could see was your channel, 3ABN." 55:27 And I said to myself, "God did that." 55:31 I said, "God did that. God loves this man." 55:34 Imagine, "Oh, you are watching a wicked channel, 55:37 you don't realize your need. 55:39 Here let me take that away from you." 55:43 I mean, he could have turned the channel 55:44 to search for it again 55:45 but no, he continued watching. 55:48 And he realized he needed Jesus. 55:51 So he called for prayer. 55:52 And he said, "I think, 55:54 God is trying to get my attention." 55:56 And after hearing that story, I said, 55:58 "Yes, He is. 56:00 And it is time to come back to the Lord." 56:03 He said, "Would you pray for me?" 56:05 I said, "I'll be glad to." 56:06 And so we prayed 56:08 and thus began his walk to return with the Lord. 56:12 And so I say today 56:14 that as we are on the borders of the Promised Land, 56:16 God is trying to get our attention, 56:19 in many different ways, 56:21 with many different things happening in your life. 56:24 God is trying to get your attention, 56:27 because He wants to save you, 56:30 He wants to save me. 56:31 I can tell you, God is trying to get my attention. 56:34 God is trying to get your attention. 56:36 Wherever you are that are watching or listening, 56:38 God is trying to get your attention, 56:40 to let you know 56:42 that He loves you 56:43 and He wants to save you. 56:44 And I hope that as we are here, 56:46 if there's anyone that feels like 56:48 they're far away from the Lord, 56:51 that if they feel like being pulled away from the Lord, 56:54 that they will hear the voice of Jesus, saying, 56:57 "Come unto me and I will give you rest." 57:02 I would like to invite you to pray. 57:04 Well, we're gonna pray as we end, 57:06 when we end here 57:07 but I would like to invite those at home, 57:10 when this program ends, 57:12 pause a moment 57:13 and ask God to make a change in your life, 57:16 to make a change for the better, 57:18 to make a change that you'll never repent of, 57:21 to make a change to bring you closer to Him 57:23 so that as when we... 57:26 when Jesus comes, you will go with Him. |
Revised 2017-04-03