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Acts chapter number 1, please, a very familiar

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portion of Scripture.

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I suppose I'll begin my reading in verse

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number 4.

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Acts chapter number 1 and verse number 4,

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please.

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The Bible says, And being assembled together with

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them, commanded them that they should not depart

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from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of

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the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard

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of me.

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For John shall be baptized with water, but

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ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost

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not many days hence.

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Notice verse 6.

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When they therefore were come together, they asked

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of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this

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time restore again the kingdom to Israel?

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And he said unto them, It is not

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for you to know the times or the

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seasons, which the Father hath put in his

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own power.

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But ye shall receive power, after that the

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Holy Ghost is come upon you.

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And ye shall be witnesses unto me, both

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in Jerusalem, and all Judea, and in Samaria,

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and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

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And tonight I preach a subject that I

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know very little about, but I want to

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know a lot more about.

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Simply I preach on the power of God.

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Thank you very much.

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You may be seated.

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Let's bow our heads and hearts, please, and

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let's ask the Lord to bless our time

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together tonight as we study the power of

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God.

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Now, Lord, again, I come to you asking,

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Lord, humbly, that you would help me tonight

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as I preach the word of God.

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I confess to you and I confess to

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this congregation that I am a nobody.

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Lord, you told your disciples in John 15,

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5, for without me ye can do nothing.

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And Lord Jesus, tonight I claim that because

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I know that is not just a command,

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it's not just a statement, but Lord, that's

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a promise.

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I'm nothing without you.

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And so I pray tonight that you would

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intervene on my behalf, and Lord, that you

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would bless, that you would help my mind

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and my heart, and Lord, that you would

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kindle that which I'm going to be preaching

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on, deep within my heart, that I may

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convey it to this congregation before me tonight.

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Lord, I pray that you would burn this

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message deep within us.

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I pray the devil would not be able

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to snatch the good seed of the word

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of God from our hearts, but tonight he

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would spring forth into abundant life, and Father,

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you would help us as we study the

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subject at hand.

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Now, Father, I call myself upon your mercy

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and ask that you would help me.

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Lord, I ask now also that you would

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help this congregation as they listen to the

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word of God.

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May we not be distracted, though we ourselves

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become a distraction to those around us.

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Bless the children as they have their time,

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but bless now as we have the preaching

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of the word of God, for it's in

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Jesus' name that we ask it and pray.

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Amen.

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The Book of the Acts is one of

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my favorite books in all of the New

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Testament, because all 28 chapters basically have one

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theme, and that one theme is the early

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establishment and the propagation of the local New

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Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

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Because you see, ladies and gentlemen, as you

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peruse your way through the 27 books of

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your New Testament, especially when you get the

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chapters like Matthew 16, Matthew 18, and then

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beginning in Acts chapter number 2, you will

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find out that the emphasis in the New

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Testament is not upon some invisible, non-knowing,

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great big huge church, but it is upon

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local assemblies, actual, physical, factual local churches.

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And just before the power of the Spirit

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of Almighty God fell down in Acts chapter

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number 2, and Peter stood forth and preached

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repentance, and 3,000 people got saved by

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the grace of God, there was a promise

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that came to them in an upper room,

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in an upper chamber, before Peter ever opened

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his mouth and preached on repentance.

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Notice, please, in your Bible, as Jesus is

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discoursing with his disciples, we look here at

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verse number 1, the Bible says, This former

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treatise have I made, O Theophilus, all that

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Jesus began both to do and to teach.

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And so now what we're going to be

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dealing with, we're going from the Gospels into

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a transitional period in the New Testament days,

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when the local church will be established, and

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the people will go around the world, turning

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the world upside down, establishing local, fundamental, Bible

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-believing, Bible-preaching churches.

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And so Jesus said, Before that can ever

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take place, there is something that you're going

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to have to have that you do not

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have right now.

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Let's see what it is.

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Look in your Bible, please, in verse number

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2.

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We know that Acts chapter number 1 is

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not only the promise of the Spirit, but

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it is the return of the Savior as

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far as his glorious ascension into heaven.

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Verse 11, we find out that those angels

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came and said, You men of Galilee, why

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stand ye gazing up into heaven?

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And so we have that great doctrinal part

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here in this portion of Scripture.

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But notice, please, this promise that Jesus begins

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to give to his disciples, and we find

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it beginning in verse 4.

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And being assembled together with them, commanded them

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that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but

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wait for the promise of the Father, which,

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saith he, ye have heard of me.

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For John, speaking of John the Baptist, truly

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baptized with water, that ye shall be baptized

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with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

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When they therefore were come together, they asked

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of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this

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time restore again the kingdom to Israel?

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They said, We know that you're the promised

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Messiah.

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We know that you are the one that

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is going to come and sit upon the

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throne of David.

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And by the way, that will be future

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tense.

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He has not done that, but thank God

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for a thousand years he will.

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And I'm going to be with him and

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have myself a glory fit, that's for sure.

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But the disciples said, Are you going to

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now set up your kingdom in Jerusalem?

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Are you going to restore Israel to the

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land?

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Are you going to give us our freedom

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back?

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Are you going to get us out from

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under the bondage of the Roman Empire?

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You see, that is why your Bible says

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in John 1.11 that he came unto

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his own and his own received him not.

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But as many as received him, to them

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gave he the power to become the sons

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of God, even to them that believe upon

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his name.

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You know why they wouldn't believe in him?

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It's not that they didn't want to, because

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you study your Bible.

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You will find out at first they did

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want to believe in him until they found

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out that he did not come to deliver

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them from the Roman Empire, but rather to

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deliver them from their sin.

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And they were not interested in being delivered

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from their sin.

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They wanted to be delivered from bondage.

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They wanted to be delivered from the captivity

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of the Roman province and from Nero and

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Caesar and the rest of that wicked crowd.

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And so now the disciples look at Jesus

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and say, You're going to give us a

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promise.

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Is that promise that you're going to restore

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Israel to the kingdom?

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Are you going to set up your kingdom

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right now and deliver us from the Roman

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Empire?

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And they were asking a legitimate question.

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There wasn't anything wrong with the question that

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they asked Jesus.

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They didn't want to be under bondage anymore.

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But please notice what Jesus told them in

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Acts 1 in verse 7.

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And he said unto them, It is not

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for you to know the time or the

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season, which the Father hath put in his

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own power.

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He said, Listen, you are not going to

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change God's mind no matter what you say.

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He said, You can beg, you can preach,

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you can pray, you can plead, you can

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squat like a baby on that altar and

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beg God to give this nation back to

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where it needs to be to restore the

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kingdom.

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He said, You can beg all of that.

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He said, But it's not for you to

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know the time.

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He said, There are some things that are

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bigger than you and some things that are

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bigger than I, and we don't always understand

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the power of God.

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Isaiah chapter number 55, His thoughts are not

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as our thoughts.

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The Bible says, As the rain cometh down

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from heaven, so is God's thought for us.

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I do not understand all that God does.

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I don't understand the power of God.

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And that is what Jesus is explaining to

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these people.

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And by the way, if you go on

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a quest to understand God, you will find

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out that the pervading theme of the Bible

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is we're not supposed to understand God.

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That's what makes Him God because He's bigger

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than you and He's bigger than me.

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And so Jesus said, It is not for

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you to know the things that deal in

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future times, if you will.

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It's not for you to know everything, to

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understand everything that God has put in His

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power.

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But, verse number 8, But ye shall receive

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power.

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Context, He's dealing with the very same power

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that was in the verse before.

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But ye shall receive power after that the

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Holy Ghost gives some abundance.

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Now, you believe anything you want to tonight,

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ladies and gentlemen, but the power of God

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is the most overlooked subject in all the

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Word of God.

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You see, we're living in a day when

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people think it would be a fine thing

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to have buildings and thank God for buildings.

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We're living in a day when people think

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it would be a fine thing when we

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have good music and we have good preaching,

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we have good teaching of the Word of

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God, we have good standards, and I don't

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discount that any bit.

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I thank God for every single bit of

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it.

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We're living in a day when it seems

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like if we can get converts to walk

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an hour, man, we're doing real well.

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If we can put people in the baptismal

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waters and the waters of the baptism aren't

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stagnant, we're doing pretty well.

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We can send young people off to Bible

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college.

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It seems like we're doing pretty well.

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And you know what?

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We've got plenty of programs.

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We've got plenty of prayer meetings.

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We've got plenty of preachers.

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We've got plenty of things in our pocketbooks.

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The problem is we just don't have the

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power of God in the day and age

271
00:08:53,310 --> 00:08:53,990
in which we live.

272
00:08:54,170 --> 00:08:57,750
But did not Jesus say, Ye shall receive

273
00:08:57,750 --> 00:08:58,410
power?

274
00:08:59,290 --> 00:09:00,330
Now, excuse me.

275
00:09:00,390 --> 00:09:02,430
I am not going to let the charismatic

276
00:09:02,430 --> 00:09:03,990
steer me away from the power of God.

277
00:09:04,330 --> 00:09:06,990
I am not going to let somebody who

278
00:09:06,990 --> 00:09:09,110
has an ignorant mindset when it comes to

279
00:09:09,110 --> 00:09:10,670
the Word of God run up and down

280
00:09:10,670 --> 00:09:12,270
the aisles, give me up a tent post,

281
00:09:12,410 --> 00:09:14,310
speak in tongues, bark like a dog, and

282
00:09:14,310 --> 00:09:15,630
run around like a fish out of water.

283
00:09:15,790 --> 00:09:17,470
I am not going to let them steer

284
00:09:17,470 --> 00:09:20,050
me away from something that God promised me

285
00:09:20,050 --> 00:09:21,230
I could have.

286
00:09:21,830 --> 00:09:23,910
And ladies and gentlemen, Jesus looks at His

287
00:09:23,910 --> 00:09:28,750
disciples and says, Ye shall receive power after

288
00:09:28,750 --> 00:09:30,570
that the Holy Ghost is come upon you.

289
00:09:30,590 --> 00:09:34,350
So basically, the main prerequisite to the power

290
00:09:34,350 --> 00:09:36,270
of God is salvation.

291
00:09:36,610 --> 00:09:38,570
For the apostle Paul said in Romans chapter

292
00:09:38,570 --> 00:09:40,010
number one in verse number sixteen, I am

293
00:09:40,010 --> 00:09:41,690
not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for

294
00:09:41,690 --> 00:09:44,990
it, the gospel, is the power of God

295
00:09:44,990 --> 00:09:46,430
unto salvation.

296
00:09:47,130 --> 00:09:49,070
And so I believe with all of my

297
00:09:49,070 --> 00:09:53,330
heart there is something not spooky, not mystical.

298
00:09:53,330 --> 00:09:56,330
I am not talking about Hollywood scare tactics.

299
00:09:56,530 --> 00:09:58,270
I am talking about holy word truth.

300
00:09:58,590 --> 00:10:01,010
Not something way out in the future, but

301
00:10:01,010 --> 00:10:03,310
I believe there is something that is bigger

302
00:10:03,310 --> 00:10:05,130
than me and there is something that is

303
00:10:05,130 --> 00:10:07,610
bigger than you that is attainable to the

304
00:10:07,610 --> 00:10:08,290
people of God.

305
00:10:08,370 --> 00:10:10,950
And I believe it is God's power.

306
00:10:11,490 --> 00:10:14,270
I believe it is the fullness of the

307
00:10:14,270 --> 00:10:16,030
Spirit of Almighty God.

308
00:10:16,130 --> 00:10:17,570
Does not your Bible say in Ephesians chapter

309
00:10:17,570 --> 00:10:19,270
five in verse number eighteen and nineteen, Do

310
00:10:19,270 --> 00:10:21,130
not drunk with wine, wherein is extent.

311
00:10:21,530 --> 00:10:24,450
But be filled, literally means be ye being

312
00:10:24,450 --> 00:10:26,130
filled with the Spirit of God, speaking to

313
00:10:26,130 --> 00:10:28,670
yourselves in songs and hymns and spiritual songs,

314
00:10:28,950 --> 00:10:30,490
singing and making melody in your hearts to

315
00:10:30,490 --> 00:10:30,710
the Lord.

316
00:10:30,770 --> 00:10:32,850
Now understand me, the power of God is

317
00:10:32,850 --> 00:10:34,530
not something that causes me to act in

318
00:10:34,530 --> 00:10:35,150
a foolish manner.

319
00:10:35,910 --> 00:10:37,970
The power of God is not something that

320
00:10:37,970 --> 00:10:41,130
causes me to act foolishly or to do

321
00:10:41,130 --> 00:10:43,290
things to direct attention to me.

322
00:10:43,550 --> 00:10:44,970
Let me tell you what I believe.

323
00:10:45,890 --> 00:10:47,670
Take it for what it's worth, but I

324
00:10:47,670 --> 00:10:50,270
believe the power of God is nothing more

325
00:10:50,270 --> 00:10:53,150
than the influence of the Holy Spirit of

326
00:10:53,150 --> 00:10:55,630
God in my life that gives me strength

327
00:10:55,630 --> 00:10:57,630
day by day to live for Christ and

328
00:10:57,630 --> 00:10:58,490
have a Christian testimony.

329
00:10:59,170 --> 00:11:00,070
That's the power of God.

330
00:11:00,530 --> 00:11:01,970
If you think I wake up every morning

331
00:11:01,970 --> 00:11:03,010
and say, Well, I tell you what, I'm

332
00:11:03,010 --> 00:11:04,190
the most spiritual Christian in the face of

333
00:11:04,190 --> 00:11:04,370
God.

334
00:11:04,410 --> 00:11:05,510
There's something wrong with you, pal.

335
00:11:05,530 --> 00:11:06,690
I don't wake up like that neither do

336
00:11:06,690 --> 00:11:06,950
you.

337
00:11:07,690 --> 00:11:10,070
There is something that is bigger than us

338
00:11:10,070 --> 00:11:12,190
that gives us the strength to live for

339
00:11:12,190 --> 00:11:13,070
Him for day to day.

340
00:11:13,070 --> 00:11:15,490
There is something that is greater than us.

341
00:11:15,610 --> 00:11:17,970
There is something that is more magnificent than

342
00:11:17,970 --> 00:11:18,210
us.

343
00:11:18,510 --> 00:11:20,210
There is something inside of me, ladies and

344
00:11:20,210 --> 00:11:22,670
gentlemen, that is glorious, that can blossom like

345
00:11:22,670 --> 00:11:23,610
a rose, if you will.

346
00:11:23,850 --> 00:11:25,910
There is something inside of me that gives

347
00:11:25,910 --> 00:11:28,230
me a Christian testimony.

348
00:11:28,990 --> 00:11:32,570
What is it that gives me that strength

349
00:11:32,570 --> 00:11:36,190
day by day, mile by mile, hour by

350
00:11:36,190 --> 00:11:36,490
hour?

351
00:11:36,490 --> 00:11:39,030
What is it that gives us that strength

352
00:11:39,030 --> 00:11:40,230
to continue to go on?

353
00:11:40,390 --> 00:11:40,890
I'll tell you what it is.

354
00:11:40,970 --> 00:11:44,710
But ye shall receive power after that the

355
00:11:44,710 --> 00:11:46,010
Holy Ghost is come upon you.

356
00:11:46,410 --> 00:11:47,470
I want to point just for the next

357
00:11:47,470 --> 00:11:49,890
few moments tonight on just a few ways.

358
00:11:49,990 --> 00:11:51,250
Maybe four, maybe five.

359
00:11:51,330 --> 00:11:52,290
If God gives me an extra one, we'll

360
00:11:52,290 --> 00:11:52,710
have five.

361
00:11:52,830 --> 00:11:52,930
Amen.

362
00:11:53,070 --> 00:11:55,790
But five ways tonight you can know.

363
00:11:56,130 --> 00:11:56,730
Did you hear me?

364
00:11:57,010 --> 00:11:59,630
Not that you can hope, but five ways

365
00:11:59,630 --> 00:12:01,750
you can know when you leave this building

366
00:12:01,750 --> 00:12:04,550
that you can have the power of God.

367
00:12:04,550 --> 00:12:05,570
Now, please look me right here in these

368
00:12:05,570 --> 00:12:06,270
two eyeballs, OK?

369
00:12:06,590 --> 00:12:08,430
I'm not throwing myself in the mater basket

370
00:12:08,430 --> 00:12:09,550
tonight and saying I haven't.

371
00:12:10,410 --> 00:12:12,310
If anything, I have a very great big

372
00:12:12,310 --> 00:12:13,810
lack of it, and I want a whole

373
00:12:13,810 --> 00:12:14,570
lot more of it.

374
00:12:14,690 --> 00:12:16,670
And so I'm preaching to myself tonight just

375
00:12:16,670 --> 00:12:18,210
as much as I'm preaching to any person

376
00:12:18,210 --> 00:12:20,410
under the sound of my voice in this

377
00:12:20,410 --> 00:12:20,690
building.

378
00:12:20,770 --> 00:12:21,670
But let me give you just a few

379
00:12:21,670 --> 00:12:23,310
ways that I believe, according to the word

380
00:12:23,310 --> 00:12:26,370
of God, we can know we have the

381
00:12:26,370 --> 00:12:27,110
power of God.

382
00:12:27,170 --> 00:12:29,090
And by the way, the lack of these

383
00:12:29,090 --> 00:12:31,590
things is no doubt the lack of the

384
00:12:31,590 --> 00:12:32,210
power of God.

385
00:12:32,210 --> 00:12:35,150
Very elementary, low to the ground, kindergarten Christianity

386
00:12:35,150 --> 00:12:35,590
outline.

387
00:12:35,770 --> 00:12:36,090
Follow me.

388
00:12:36,110 --> 00:12:38,250
Number one, the power of God comes first

389
00:12:38,250 --> 00:12:40,010
and foremost through prayer.

390
00:12:40,850 --> 00:12:44,410
The power of God has always come to

391
00:12:44,410 --> 00:12:47,730
those who avail themselves to God in prayer.

392
00:12:47,990 --> 00:12:49,410
There was an elderly lady in Texas.

393
00:12:49,730 --> 00:12:51,290
A pastor went and visited her in a

394
00:12:51,290 --> 00:12:52,810
little convalescent home, a little nursing home.

395
00:12:53,030 --> 00:12:54,410
And they began to talk back and forth.

396
00:12:54,530 --> 00:12:55,690
And he would sing her a couple of

397
00:12:55,690 --> 00:12:57,310
little choruses, and boy, she'd just giggle with

398
00:12:57,310 --> 00:12:57,550
glee.

399
00:12:57,790 --> 00:12:59,110
And I mean, she was just so excited.

400
00:12:59,350 --> 00:13:00,810
And he would read her some verses.

401
00:13:00,810 --> 00:13:02,530
And just before he got ready to leave,

402
00:13:02,750 --> 00:13:03,630
he would pray with her.

403
00:13:03,670 --> 00:13:05,270
And he talked with her about how much

404
00:13:05,270 --> 00:13:06,490
God loved her, and this, that, and the

405
00:13:06,490 --> 00:13:06,650
other.

406
00:13:06,970 --> 00:13:08,330
And as they were talking back and forth,

407
00:13:08,370 --> 00:13:09,110
he got ready to leave.

408
00:13:09,210 --> 00:13:10,430
And she said, you know what, preacher?

409
00:13:10,890 --> 00:13:13,030
She said, you know, I found the secret

410
00:13:13,030 --> 00:13:15,570
to the Christian life is the power of

411
00:13:15,570 --> 00:13:15,890
God.

412
00:13:16,050 --> 00:13:17,170
And he said, is that right?

413
00:13:17,450 --> 00:13:19,190
He said, well, what is it that gives

414
00:13:19,190 --> 00:13:20,030
you the power of God?

415
00:13:20,110 --> 00:13:21,390
She said, I believe it's prayer.

416
00:13:21,690 --> 00:13:23,370
She said, I believe the more a person

417
00:13:23,370 --> 00:13:25,490
prays, the more a person will have the

418
00:13:25,490 --> 00:13:26,170
power of God.

419
00:13:26,370 --> 00:13:28,450
She says, I have understood one thing in

420
00:13:28,450 --> 00:13:28,670
life.

421
00:13:28,730 --> 00:13:29,510
He said, what's that?

422
00:13:29,510 --> 00:13:31,350
She said, the only time you'll ever see

423
00:13:31,350 --> 00:13:33,850
power before prayer is in the dictionary.

424
00:13:35,290 --> 00:13:36,350
And I'm going to tell you something, ladies

425
00:13:36,350 --> 00:13:37,570
and gentlemen, that's exactly right.

426
00:13:38,270 --> 00:13:40,810
The only time you will ever see power

427
00:13:40,810 --> 00:13:42,850
coming before prayer is in the dictionary.

428
00:13:43,190 --> 00:13:45,570
Because if you're not a person that prays,

429
00:13:45,670 --> 00:13:47,610
I promise you, you're not a person who

430
00:13:47,610 --> 00:13:50,030
accidentally comes across the power of God.

431
00:13:50,110 --> 00:13:51,390
You think about the disciples just for a

432
00:13:51,390 --> 00:13:51,550
moment.

433
00:13:51,910 --> 00:13:53,550
I was reading about their life, you know,

434
00:13:53,590 --> 00:13:55,230
going through the Gospels and studying them.

435
00:13:55,510 --> 00:13:57,450
And I'll tell you, I was convicted at

436
00:13:57,450 --> 00:13:59,030
something that they asked the Lord Jesus.

437
00:13:59,030 --> 00:14:00,470
I preached on it 100 times.

438
00:14:00,850 --> 00:14:01,610
I quoted it.

439
00:14:01,850 --> 00:14:02,810
I read through it.

440
00:14:02,890 --> 00:14:03,510
You've heard it.

441
00:14:03,550 --> 00:14:04,350
We've taught the kids.

442
00:14:04,610 --> 00:14:05,890
You know what the disciples looked at Jesus?

443
00:14:06,150 --> 00:14:07,590
He basically said, what do you want from

444
00:14:07,590 --> 00:14:07,810
me?

445
00:14:07,850 --> 00:14:12,490
And they said, Lord, teach us to pray.

446
00:14:13,750 --> 00:14:14,870
That really grabbed a hold of me.

447
00:14:14,950 --> 00:14:16,350
You know, sometimes you'll read John 3, 16

448
00:14:16,350 --> 00:14:17,070
a thousand times.

449
00:14:17,150 --> 00:14:18,150
You'll read it a thousand and one and

450
00:14:18,150 --> 00:14:19,250
God will jump out of a Bible and

451
00:14:19,250 --> 00:14:20,290
just drag you and just drift you right

452
00:14:20,290 --> 00:14:21,250
down to the book and say, look at

453
00:14:21,250 --> 00:14:21,350
that.

454
00:14:21,410 --> 00:14:22,350
It will show you something you've never seen

455
00:14:22,350 --> 00:14:22,630
before.

456
00:14:23,550 --> 00:14:25,990
And when I read that, Lord, teach us

457
00:14:25,990 --> 00:14:26,590
to pray.

458
00:14:26,590 --> 00:14:29,470
I thought to myself, now that is a

459
00:14:29,470 --> 00:14:30,130
terrific thing.

460
00:14:30,770 --> 00:14:31,650
You say big deal.

461
00:14:31,770 --> 00:14:32,430
Oh, it is a big deal.

462
00:14:32,510 --> 00:14:32,870
I'll tell you why.

463
00:14:32,930 --> 00:14:34,090
They didn't say, Lord, teach us to preach.

464
00:14:34,190 --> 00:14:35,170
But doesn't that seem like that'd be a

465
00:14:35,170 --> 00:14:36,090
pretty honorable thing to say?

466
00:14:36,690 --> 00:14:38,230
Here's the greatest preacher that ever walked the

467
00:14:38,230 --> 00:14:38,970
face of God's dinner.

468
00:14:39,470 --> 00:14:41,730
God in the flesh made some cults of

469
00:14:41,730 --> 00:14:44,270
Bible backwards and forwards like nobody's business.

470
00:14:44,390 --> 00:14:46,490
Here's a man that could walk into an

471
00:14:46,490 --> 00:14:49,570
auditorium and immediately every head was turned right

472
00:14:49,570 --> 00:14:50,090
towards him.

473
00:14:50,250 --> 00:14:51,430
And that's why he could get up in

474
00:14:51,430 --> 00:14:53,350
Luke chapter 18 and he could preach out

475
00:14:53,350 --> 00:14:54,610
of Isaiah chapter number 61.

476
00:14:54,610 --> 00:14:56,290
And then look at those people and say,

477
00:14:56,350 --> 00:14:59,110
this day is this prophecy fulfilled in your

478
00:14:59,110 --> 00:14:59,430
ears.

479
00:14:59,530 --> 00:15:00,930
And I mean, it was like kids in

480
00:15:00,930 --> 00:15:01,490
the candy store.

481
00:15:01,630 --> 00:15:02,970
I mean, they were eaten out of the

482
00:15:02,970 --> 00:15:04,670
palms of his hands.

483
00:15:04,750 --> 00:15:07,150
Never a man speaks like this man.

484
00:15:07,510 --> 00:15:09,210
You think John the Baptist was a preacher?

485
00:15:09,510 --> 00:15:10,950
I'll tell you what, Jesus Christ was the

486
00:15:10,950 --> 00:15:12,970
greatest preacher that ever walked this earth hands

487
00:15:12,970 --> 00:15:13,190
down.

488
00:15:13,270 --> 00:15:14,330
But they didn't say, Lord, teach us to

489
00:15:14,330 --> 00:15:14,510
preach.

490
00:15:15,130 --> 00:15:16,370
Now, it seems like to me, since they

491
00:15:16,370 --> 00:15:17,670
were enrolled in the seminary of the Lord

492
00:15:17,670 --> 00:15:18,950
Jesus, if you will, that they would have

493
00:15:18,950 --> 00:15:20,270
said, Lord, teach us some of your tactics

494
00:15:20,270 --> 00:15:21,570
and some of your homiletics and some of

495
00:15:21,570 --> 00:15:22,070
your outlines.

496
00:15:22,210 --> 00:15:22,990
But they didn't do that.

497
00:15:22,990 --> 00:15:24,830
They didn't even say, Lord, teach us to

498
00:15:24,830 --> 00:15:25,450
teach.

499
00:15:25,930 --> 00:15:27,910
But yet the Bible does say that Jesus

500
00:15:27,910 --> 00:15:30,310
taught them as one having authority and not

501
00:15:30,310 --> 00:15:31,830
as the scribes and the Pharisees.

502
00:15:32,150 --> 00:15:33,190
Why did he have such authority?

503
00:15:33,330 --> 00:15:35,030
Because he preached the word of God.

504
00:15:35,110 --> 00:15:36,570
He didn't fiddle around with a newspaper, the

505
00:15:36,570 --> 00:15:37,930
Sports Illustrated, the Time magazine.

506
00:15:38,290 --> 00:15:39,990
He preached that same for Lord and that's

507
00:15:39,990 --> 00:15:40,930
what gave him that authority.

508
00:15:41,270 --> 00:15:42,450
But they didn't say, Lord, teach us to

509
00:15:42,450 --> 00:15:42,730
preach.

510
00:15:43,150 --> 00:15:44,490
They didn't say, Lord, teach us to teach.

511
00:15:45,010 --> 00:15:46,450
They didn't say, Lord, teach us to build

512
00:15:46,450 --> 00:15:47,310
big Sunday schools.

513
00:15:47,830 --> 00:15:49,730
They didn't say, teach us to baptize people.

514
00:15:49,930 --> 00:15:50,470
And you know what?

515
00:15:50,470 --> 00:15:53,790
They didn't even say, Lord, teach us to

516
00:15:53,790 --> 00:15:54,610
perform miracles.

517
00:15:55,670 --> 00:15:56,530
Now you think about that.

518
00:15:57,170 --> 00:16:00,570
They're around somebody who performed every miracle imaginable.

519
00:16:01,310 --> 00:16:02,350
I was thinking about this just the other

520
00:16:02,350 --> 00:16:03,170
day around Christmas time.

521
00:16:03,370 --> 00:16:05,370
I preached a sermon on what if God

522
00:16:05,370 --> 00:16:06,350
really became a man.

523
00:16:06,450 --> 00:16:07,470
By the way, he did and his name

524
00:16:07,470 --> 00:16:08,030
was Jesus.

525
00:16:08,270 --> 00:16:10,730
But nonetheless, you think about all the miracles

526
00:16:10,730 --> 00:16:12,090
that Jesus performed.

527
00:16:12,370 --> 00:16:14,230
Did you know there is not one miracle

528
00:16:14,230 --> 00:16:17,230
that Jesus did not perform upon this earth?

529
00:16:17,330 --> 00:16:17,930
Not one.

530
00:16:17,930 --> 00:16:20,270
You cannot think of a miracle that you

531
00:16:20,270 --> 00:16:22,750
would have wanted him to do that he

532
00:16:22,750 --> 00:16:23,670
didn't already do.

533
00:16:24,390 --> 00:16:25,430
He raised people from the dead.

534
00:16:25,990 --> 00:16:26,990
That's a pretty noble thing.

535
00:16:27,750 --> 00:16:28,690
He walked on the water.

536
00:16:29,790 --> 00:16:30,730
He calmed the storm.

537
00:16:31,610 --> 00:16:32,850
You say, well, he never did a miracle

538
00:16:32,850 --> 00:16:34,310
of financial proportions.

539
00:16:34,450 --> 00:16:34,830
Is that right?

540
00:16:34,910 --> 00:16:35,810
Peter needed to pay his taxes.

541
00:16:35,890 --> 00:16:36,870
He said, go down to a fish's mouth,

542
00:16:36,910 --> 00:16:37,910
hope it wasn't a catfish and you'll find

543
00:16:37,910 --> 00:16:38,530
you some gold in there.

544
00:16:38,670 --> 00:16:39,970
That's a pretty big miracle if you ask

545
00:16:39,970 --> 00:16:40,150
me.

546
00:16:40,310 --> 00:16:41,390
I ain't got too much gold in the

547
00:16:41,390 --> 00:16:42,030
catfish's mouth.

548
00:16:42,050 --> 00:16:42,610
That's for sure.

549
00:16:42,930 --> 00:16:43,770
And if I knew it was down there,

550
00:16:43,770 --> 00:16:45,630
I'd be fishing every single day.

551
00:16:45,690 --> 00:16:46,250
That's for sure.

552
00:16:46,730 --> 00:16:49,070
He said 5,000 on one occasion, 4

553
00:16:49,070 --> 00:16:50,330
,000 two chapters later.

554
00:16:50,590 --> 00:16:51,370
I mean, you think about it.

555
00:16:51,470 --> 00:16:53,710
He healed blind eyes, the paralytic legs.

556
00:16:53,950 --> 00:16:55,670
He cast out devils from people's bodies.

557
00:16:55,970 --> 00:16:58,090
He did miracle after miracle after miracle after

558
00:16:58,090 --> 00:16:59,150
miracle after miracle.

559
00:16:59,670 --> 00:17:02,190
And the disciples saw every single one.

560
00:17:02,270 --> 00:17:03,310
You remember that man that laid in a

561
00:17:03,310 --> 00:17:04,290
bed for 38 years?

562
00:17:04,829 --> 00:17:06,550
He said, no man would put me in

563
00:17:06,550 --> 00:17:06,910
the water.

564
00:17:07,410 --> 00:17:08,910
No man cares for me.

565
00:17:09,089 --> 00:17:10,630
And he said, I need somebody to get

566
00:17:10,630 --> 00:17:11,390
me down there in the water.

567
00:17:11,490 --> 00:17:12,450
And Jesus said, don't you worry about that

568
00:17:12,450 --> 00:17:12,650
water.

569
00:17:12,750 --> 00:17:13,470
I'm the water of life.

570
00:17:13,470 --> 00:17:14,550
And Jesus walked by and touched him and

571
00:17:14,550 --> 00:17:15,410
said, pick up your cot, boy.

572
00:17:15,569 --> 00:17:16,490
And he picked up the cot.

573
00:17:16,670 --> 00:17:18,470
And the Bible says he went straight from

574
00:17:18,470 --> 00:17:19,930
the loom of Darwin all the way down

575
00:17:19,930 --> 00:17:20,569
the road, friend.

576
00:17:20,690 --> 00:17:22,390
He picked up his bed and he carried

577
00:17:22,390 --> 00:17:22,890
it with him.

578
00:17:23,050 --> 00:17:25,710
And I'll tell you, every single miracle that

579
00:17:25,710 --> 00:17:29,470
Jesus performed, the disciples saw him perform them.

580
00:17:29,550 --> 00:17:30,850
Hey, you remember those four guys that had

581
00:17:30,850 --> 00:17:31,830
that friend who was a paralytic?

582
00:17:31,910 --> 00:17:32,710
He laid in a bed and he couldn't

583
00:17:32,710 --> 00:17:33,290
even walk.

584
00:17:33,410 --> 00:17:34,710
He couldn't get up and do anything for

585
00:17:34,710 --> 00:17:35,030
himself.

586
00:17:35,290 --> 00:17:36,390
And one day they took him to the

587
00:17:36,390 --> 00:17:36,890
church house.

588
00:17:37,090 --> 00:17:38,570
They took him to somebody's house as they

589
00:17:38,570 --> 00:17:40,450
would meet in houses customarily in the New

590
00:17:40,450 --> 00:17:40,710
Testament.

591
00:17:40,930 --> 00:17:42,710
And I mean, the doors were packed to

592
00:17:42,710 --> 00:17:43,090
capacity.

593
00:17:43,090 --> 00:17:44,790
I mean, people were all over the place.

594
00:17:45,030 --> 00:17:46,350
I mean, there wasn't a place to sit.

595
00:17:46,590 --> 00:17:47,890
And those fellows said, I wonder what we're

596
00:17:47,890 --> 00:17:48,230
going to do.

597
00:17:48,450 --> 00:17:49,410
And one of them got a bright idea.

598
00:17:49,470 --> 00:17:50,590
He said, well, let's hoist him up on

599
00:17:50,590 --> 00:17:51,190
the roof.

600
00:17:51,270 --> 00:17:52,170
Now, you can't do that nowadays.

601
00:17:52,310 --> 00:17:53,430
You'll get sued, but back then you could.

602
00:17:53,670 --> 00:17:54,650
He said, let's hoist him up on the

603
00:17:54,650 --> 00:17:55,630
roof and let's lower him down.

604
00:17:55,810 --> 00:17:57,070
And we'll put him right on the platform

605
00:17:57,070 --> 00:17:57,870
where the man's preaching.

606
00:17:58,170 --> 00:17:59,230
And so they climbed up there.

607
00:17:59,410 --> 00:18:00,930
They got a shovel, a pickaxe, whatever it

608
00:18:00,930 --> 00:18:01,070
was.

609
00:18:01,110 --> 00:18:02,590
They started taking the shingles off that roof.

610
00:18:02,890 --> 00:18:03,950
And before you know it, they opened up

611
00:18:03,950 --> 00:18:05,530
a bigger hole, a hole big enough for

612
00:18:05,530 --> 00:18:05,890
a cot.

613
00:18:06,170 --> 00:18:08,030
And they lowered that man right down in

614
00:18:08,030 --> 00:18:08,250
there.

615
00:18:08,470 --> 00:18:09,610
And Jesus didn't rebuke him.

616
00:18:09,610 --> 00:18:11,050
Jesus didn't slap the man.

617
00:18:11,230 --> 00:18:13,530
Jesus said, son, take off thy belt and

618
00:18:13,530 --> 00:18:13,870
walk.

619
00:18:13,930 --> 00:18:15,090
And the Bible says he picked it up

620
00:18:15,090 --> 00:18:16,230
and walked right out of the room.

621
00:18:16,510 --> 00:18:18,050
And you know what those religious people said?

622
00:18:18,630 --> 00:18:20,910
We never saw it on this life before.

623
00:18:21,970 --> 00:18:23,650
They said, we've never done things like this

624
00:18:23,650 --> 00:18:24,010
before.

625
00:18:24,390 --> 00:18:25,830
We've never taken the offering like that.

626
00:18:25,890 --> 00:18:26,830
We've never preached like that.

627
00:18:26,990 --> 00:18:29,170
We've never seen it on this life before.

628
00:18:29,350 --> 00:18:32,450
And every miracle that Jesus performed was a

629
00:18:32,450 --> 00:18:35,170
miracle that was seen by his disciples.

630
00:18:36,210 --> 00:18:37,370
And so doesn't it stand to reason?

631
00:18:37,370 --> 00:18:38,870
It does to me that, hey, if I

632
00:18:38,870 --> 00:18:39,830
was around him, I'd say, hey, you know

633
00:18:39,830 --> 00:18:40,010
what?

634
00:18:40,510 --> 00:18:41,830
I sure would like to have that power.

635
00:18:42,850 --> 00:18:44,130
I'd like to be able to raise the

636
00:18:44,130 --> 00:18:44,410
dead.

637
00:18:45,090 --> 00:18:46,610
And you talk about an influx of crowds

638
00:18:46,610 --> 00:18:47,290
at a meeting, buddy.

639
00:18:47,630 --> 00:18:48,950
I mean, didn't he tell somebody, he said,

640
00:18:48,990 --> 00:18:49,970
here's somebody with a spit rag.

641
00:18:50,010 --> 00:18:51,330
And I mean, he's got 50,000 people

642
00:18:51,330 --> 00:18:51,930
to preach to.

643
00:18:52,270 --> 00:18:54,270
And I mean, here is somebody who could

644
00:18:54,270 --> 00:18:57,050
give you that power available at his fingertips

645
00:18:57,050 --> 00:18:58,850
was the very power to say, OK, if

646
00:18:58,850 --> 00:18:59,650
you want to raise the dead, you can

647
00:18:59,650 --> 00:18:59,990
raise the dead.

648
00:19:00,270 --> 00:19:02,650
And he did give them some apostolic power.

649
00:19:02,770 --> 00:19:04,690
And by the way, when the apostles died,

650
00:19:04,830 --> 00:19:06,510
apostolic power died with them.

651
00:19:06,510 --> 00:19:07,850
And there's no such thing as an apostle

652
00:19:07,850 --> 00:19:08,190
today.

653
00:19:08,490 --> 00:19:09,670
That's why we don't handle snakes.

654
00:19:09,710 --> 00:19:11,190
That's why we don't speak in tongues.

655
00:19:11,390 --> 00:19:12,590
That's why we don't walk on water.

656
00:19:12,790 --> 00:19:14,190
That's why we don't do foolish things.

657
00:19:14,350 --> 00:19:16,290
Because at one time, the power of God

658
00:19:16,290 --> 00:19:17,970
came through manifestations.

659
00:19:18,530 --> 00:19:21,190
But nowadays, the power of God comes through

660
00:19:21,190 --> 00:19:23,310
simple obedience to the word of God.

661
00:19:23,670 --> 00:19:26,450
And so when they looked at Jesus, they

662
00:19:26,450 --> 00:19:27,990
didn't say any of those things.

663
00:19:28,010 --> 00:19:29,570
They said, Lord, keep us.

664
00:19:33,360 --> 00:19:34,100
Why do you say that?

665
00:19:34,100 --> 00:19:34,620
I'll tell you why.

666
00:19:35,960 --> 00:19:38,160
Because if you study the Gospels, you will

667
00:19:38,160 --> 00:19:41,600
find out that all of Jesus' ministry, every

668
00:19:41,600 --> 00:19:47,300
ministry, all of his miracles were attributed to

669
00:19:47,300 --> 00:19:47,880
his prayer line.

670
00:19:50,020 --> 00:19:51,760
And you see, friend, they did not have

671
00:19:51,760 --> 00:19:53,580
to ask and say, Lord, teach us to

672
00:19:53,580 --> 00:19:53,780
preach.

673
00:19:54,740 --> 00:19:56,400
Show us how to teach Sunday school.

674
00:19:56,520 --> 00:19:58,360
Show us how to build the cross.

675
00:19:58,900 --> 00:20:00,780
Show us how to win people to Christ.

676
00:20:01,360 --> 00:20:03,620
Show us how to baptize the masses.

677
00:20:04,020 --> 00:20:05,520
Give us this miracle working power.

678
00:20:05,520 --> 00:20:07,900
They didn't have to ask for any of

679
00:20:07,900 --> 00:20:10,560
that because they knew where the source of

680
00:20:10,560 --> 00:20:11,900
all of that came from.

681
00:20:12,880 --> 00:20:15,400
It came from his prayer time with his

682
00:20:15,400 --> 00:20:15,760
father.

683
00:20:16,900 --> 00:20:19,120
Excuse me for being a little bit over

684
00:20:19,120 --> 00:20:19,520
elementary.

685
00:20:20,780 --> 00:20:23,680
But if Jesus had to pray, how dare

686
00:20:23,680 --> 00:20:24,660
we think we shouldn't?

687
00:20:25,800 --> 00:20:28,620
John chapter number 17, Jesus prayed and prayed

688
00:20:28,620 --> 00:20:29,100
and prayed.

689
00:20:29,240 --> 00:20:30,620
We know that in the Garden of Gethsemane,

690
00:20:30,920 --> 00:20:33,420
he prayed so vigorously, it was as if

691
00:20:33,420 --> 00:20:35,160
sweat drops of blood.

692
00:20:35,580 --> 00:20:38,460
The capillaries beneath his skin would burn.

693
00:20:39,020 --> 00:20:40,640
And physicians call it hematidrosis.

694
00:20:40,840 --> 00:20:42,360
It's only happened about four or five times

695
00:20:42,360 --> 00:20:43,100
in medical history.

696
00:20:43,300 --> 00:20:44,700
And every single time it happened to a

697
00:20:44,700 --> 00:20:47,640
person, their body was under so much stress,

698
00:20:47,740 --> 00:20:48,660
anxiety and pain.

699
00:20:48,940 --> 00:20:50,560
That's exactly what happened to the Lord Jesus

700
00:20:50,560 --> 00:20:52,560
as he was praying for your soul and

701
00:20:52,560 --> 00:20:54,380
my soul near into that time of death.

702
00:20:55,020 --> 00:20:56,580
You study the ministry of the Lord Jesus.

703
00:20:56,780 --> 00:21:00,000
Every single miracle he performed was attributed to

704
00:21:00,000 --> 00:21:00,840
his prayer life.

705
00:21:00,840 --> 00:21:03,140
And when the disciples saw that, they realized

706
00:21:03,140 --> 00:21:06,360
if we want this great power, we must

707
00:21:06,360 --> 00:21:10,000
learn the submissive principle of being obedient to

708
00:21:10,000 --> 00:21:11,740
our father, being obedient to the word of

709
00:21:11,740 --> 00:21:12,020
God.

710
00:21:12,160 --> 00:21:13,540
And we must learn to pray.

711
00:21:13,640 --> 00:21:15,400
Daniel chapter six and verse number 10.

712
00:21:15,620 --> 00:21:16,960
Now, when Daniel knew that the writing was

713
00:21:16,960 --> 00:21:19,120
signed, he went into his bedchamber with his

714
00:21:19,120 --> 00:21:21,320
windows being opened toward Jerusalem and he kneeled

715
00:21:21,320 --> 00:21:23,240
upon his knees three times a day and

716
00:21:23,240 --> 00:21:26,160
gave thanks before his God as he did

717
00:21:26,160 --> 00:21:27,100
a full time.

718
00:21:27,100 --> 00:21:29,060
Psalm chapter five, verses one, two and three.

719
00:21:29,160 --> 00:21:30,680
The Bible tells us that David prayed at

720
00:21:30,680 --> 00:21:33,180
morning, noon and at midnight, lifting his eyes

721
00:21:33,180 --> 00:21:34,800
and his hands toward heaven.

722
00:21:35,000 --> 00:21:36,240
He was waiting for God to drop it

723
00:21:36,240 --> 00:21:36,960
right out of the sky.

724
00:21:37,280 --> 00:21:39,260
Jeremiah chapter 33 and verse number three.

725
00:21:39,660 --> 00:21:41,140
Call unto me, God said.

726
00:21:41,460 --> 00:21:43,560
Not a shallow promise, but a great promise

727
00:21:43,560 --> 00:21:44,340
in the word of God.

728
00:21:44,560 --> 00:21:46,100
Call unto me and I will answer thee

729
00:21:46,100 --> 00:21:48,620
and show thee great and mighty things which

730
00:21:48,620 --> 00:21:49,420
thou knowest not.

731
00:21:49,580 --> 00:21:51,540
You say, OK, preacher, how come we don't

732
00:21:51,540 --> 00:21:52,840
see great and mighty things?

733
00:21:52,980 --> 00:21:54,500
James chapter four, you have not.

734
00:21:55,300 --> 00:21:56,580
Because you have not.

735
00:21:57,320 --> 00:21:58,420
The Bible says in the book of Matthew

736
00:21:58,420 --> 00:22:00,900
chapter number seven, ask and it shall be

737
00:22:00,900 --> 00:22:01,560
given you.

738
00:22:01,920 --> 00:22:03,620
Seek and ye shall find.

739
00:22:04,820 --> 00:22:06,840
Knock and it shall be opened unto you.

740
00:22:06,920 --> 00:22:09,200
Somebody says, OK, preacher, I've asked.

741
00:22:09,880 --> 00:22:12,040
I've sought and I've knocked.

742
00:22:12,520 --> 00:22:14,440
But ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to remind

743
00:22:14,440 --> 00:22:16,460
you that it's written in the continuous ten.

744
00:22:16,540 --> 00:22:18,380
It means ask, ask, ask.

745
00:22:18,660 --> 00:22:19,580
Knock, knock, knock.

746
00:22:19,800 --> 00:22:20,880
And seek, seek, seek.

747
00:22:20,880 --> 00:22:23,080
And you keep on seeking and you keep

748
00:22:23,080 --> 00:22:23,580
on knocking.

749
00:22:23,860 --> 00:22:25,400
Just like that widow that came to that

750
00:22:25,400 --> 00:22:27,300
judge and she begged him and begged him

751
00:22:27,300 --> 00:22:27,840
and begged him.

752
00:22:28,040 --> 00:22:30,160
And finally he said, OK, I'll give you

753
00:22:30,160 --> 00:22:30,960
what you want.

754
00:22:31,600 --> 00:22:32,760
Now I'm going to tell you something about

755
00:22:32,760 --> 00:22:33,120
prayer.

756
00:22:33,500 --> 00:22:36,100
Prayer is not just a time so that

757
00:22:36,100 --> 00:22:37,640
I go to God and say, I want

758
00:22:37,640 --> 00:22:40,480
this, I want this, I want this, and

759
00:22:40,480 --> 00:22:41,080
I want this.

760
00:22:41,400 --> 00:22:43,800
God is not your theological bellhop that meets

761
00:22:43,800 --> 00:22:45,580
you outside your hotel room with a limousine.

762
00:22:46,220 --> 00:22:47,860
He's not going to jump to your every

763
00:22:47,860 --> 00:22:48,560
beckoning call.

764
00:22:48,560 --> 00:22:51,860
And prayer is not just a time for

765
00:22:51,860 --> 00:22:53,560
me to ask for things.

766
00:22:53,740 --> 00:22:55,200
It is a time for me to worship

767
00:22:55,200 --> 00:22:55,760
God.

768
00:22:56,720 --> 00:22:59,120
Ladies and gentlemen, people that prayed in the

769
00:22:59,120 --> 00:23:02,900
Bible were people who had the power of

770
00:23:02,900 --> 00:23:03,240
God.

771
00:23:03,920 --> 00:23:05,380
But not only does the power of God

772
00:23:05,380 --> 00:23:06,040
come through prayer.

773
00:23:06,180 --> 00:23:07,700
I'll say secondly and quickly, number two, the

774
00:23:07,700 --> 00:23:10,080
power of God comes through seriousness.

775
00:23:10,540 --> 00:23:12,240
The Bible says in Leviticus chapter 11 and

776
00:23:12,240 --> 00:23:13,900
verse number 44, And be ye holy, for

777
00:23:13,900 --> 00:23:15,120
I am holy, saith the Lord God of

778
00:23:15,120 --> 00:23:15,380
hosts.

779
00:23:15,680 --> 00:23:17,100
God liked that verse so much he repeated

780
00:23:17,100 --> 00:23:17,580
it again.

781
00:23:17,580 --> 00:23:19,800
In 1 Peter chapter 1 verse number 16,

782
00:23:19,900 --> 00:23:21,580
And be ye holy, for I am holy,

783
00:23:21,740 --> 00:23:22,860
saith the Lord God of hosts.

784
00:23:22,940 --> 00:23:24,400
And if you study your Bible from Genesis

785
00:23:24,400 --> 00:23:26,860
1-1 to Revelation 22-21, it won't

786
00:23:26,860 --> 00:23:28,260
take you very long to figure out that

787
00:23:28,260 --> 00:23:31,120
God, more than love, more than grace, more

788
00:23:31,120 --> 00:23:33,520
than mercy, more than patience, more than long

789
00:23:33,520 --> 00:23:35,520
suffering, more than anything else, God is holy

790
00:23:35,520 --> 00:23:37,340
because that is the very thing that makes

791
00:23:37,340 --> 00:23:38,900
God who God is.

792
00:23:39,260 --> 00:23:40,600
If he were not loved, he would still

793
00:23:40,600 --> 00:23:40,980
be holy.

794
00:23:41,200 --> 00:23:42,920
If he were not merciful, he would still

795
00:23:42,920 --> 00:23:43,300
be holy.

796
00:23:43,460 --> 00:23:44,860
If he had no grace that we heard

797
00:23:44,860 --> 00:23:46,680
sung about tonight, he would still be holy

798
00:23:46,680 --> 00:23:49,380
because holiness is what God is, and you

799
00:23:49,380 --> 00:23:49,660
know what?

800
00:23:49,720 --> 00:23:52,000
God commands holiness out of his people.

801
00:23:52,360 --> 00:23:56,920
Now, God has always had his blessings upon

802
00:23:56,920 --> 00:23:58,280
separated Christianity.

803
00:23:58,940 --> 00:24:00,380
Now, the liberals don't believe that.

804
00:24:01,300 --> 00:24:02,960
The modernists don't believe that.

805
00:24:03,700 --> 00:24:05,480
The New Evangelicals don't believe that.

806
00:24:05,680 --> 00:24:06,340
And guess what?

807
00:24:06,800 --> 00:24:07,820
They don't have God's blessings.

808
00:24:08,740 --> 00:24:10,840
You see, ladies and gentlemen, those who want

809
00:24:10,840 --> 00:24:13,820
to live right, those who want to live

810
00:24:13,820 --> 00:24:17,660
holy, those who want to live separated lives

811
00:24:17,660 --> 00:24:20,900
are those who avail themselves to the power

812
00:24:20,900 --> 00:24:21,240
of God.

813
00:24:21,340 --> 00:24:22,240
They can prove that, liberals can.

814
00:24:22,500 --> 00:24:23,300
There's a man in the Bible by the

815
00:24:23,300 --> 00:24:23,760
name of Samuel.

816
00:24:24,380 --> 00:24:26,380
He was born in Judges chapter number 13.

817
00:24:26,940 --> 00:24:29,240
His life was lived in chapter 14, chapter

818
00:24:29,240 --> 00:24:30,880
15, and chapter number 16.

819
00:24:31,520 --> 00:24:33,020
Did you know in Judges chapter number 14,

820
00:24:33,120 --> 00:24:34,740
the Bible says five times, the Spirit of

821
00:24:34,740 --> 00:24:35,920
God came mightily upon him.

822
00:24:36,320 --> 00:24:38,140
In chapter number 15, the Bible says four

823
00:24:38,140 --> 00:24:39,840
times, the Spirit of God came mightily upon

824
00:24:39,840 --> 00:24:40,060
him.

825
00:24:40,260 --> 00:24:41,980
And in chapter 16, the Bible says two

826
00:24:41,980 --> 00:24:43,600
times, the Spirit of God came mightily upon

827
00:24:43,600 --> 00:24:43,800
him.

828
00:24:43,800 --> 00:24:47,300
Why do we have that gradual slowing down,

829
00:24:47,440 --> 00:24:50,040
that backsliding process of the man Samson?

830
00:24:50,100 --> 00:24:50,660
I'll tell you why.

831
00:24:50,980 --> 00:24:53,240
Here's a man who, by the way, did

832
00:24:53,240 --> 00:24:55,060
not have the power of God because he

833
00:24:55,060 --> 00:24:55,620
was a hippie.

834
00:24:55,800 --> 00:24:56,960
He had the power of God.

835
00:24:57,220 --> 00:24:59,680
His long hair was a symbolization of his

836
00:24:59,680 --> 00:25:03,160
Nazarite vow of separation to God.

837
00:25:03,440 --> 00:25:06,220
The hair was merely a picture of his

838
00:25:06,220 --> 00:25:07,780
vow and his separation.

839
00:25:07,980 --> 00:25:10,100
You see, God's always blessed separated Christianity in

840
00:25:10,100 --> 00:25:10,720
the Old Testament.

841
00:25:10,960 --> 00:25:12,180
And he certainly blesses it in the day

842
00:25:12,180 --> 00:25:12,960
and age in which we live.

843
00:25:12,960 --> 00:25:14,860
But did you know when Samson lived right,

844
00:25:14,960 --> 00:25:16,320
when the Spirit of God came upon him,

845
00:25:16,620 --> 00:25:18,360
he could do some of the most supernatural,

846
00:25:18,540 --> 00:25:20,060
amazing feats that you could ever imagine.

847
00:25:21,000 --> 00:25:22,720
Here's a man that picked up the gates.

848
00:25:23,580 --> 00:25:26,320
The gates of the city there that the

849
00:25:26,320 --> 00:25:28,640
Philistines had encamped and come around the Israelites,

850
00:25:29,020 --> 00:25:30,200
he picked them up and carried them to

851
00:25:30,200 --> 00:25:31,400
the top of a mountain and set them

852
00:25:31,400 --> 00:25:31,620
down.

853
00:25:32,660 --> 00:25:34,460
I mean, I had trouble carrying purity milk

854
00:25:34,460 --> 00:25:35,560
crates up the top of a mountain.

855
00:25:35,700 --> 00:25:36,720
And here's a man that grabbed the gates,

856
00:25:36,800 --> 00:25:37,720
put them on his shoulders and went up

857
00:25:37,720 --> 00:25:38,320
there and set them down.

858
00:25:39,000 --> 00:25:40,300
Here's a man that was sitting on a

859
00:25:40,300 --> 00:25:43,440
rock one day and a thousand Philistine soldiers

860
00:25:43,440 --> 00:25:44,060
came to him.

861
00:25:45,000 --> 00:25:45,780
He said, God, I'm going to have to

862
00:25:45,780 --> 00:25:46,240
whoop these fellas.

863
00:25:46,340 --> 00:25:47,280
And the Bible says the Spirit of God

864
00:25:47,280 --> 00:25:47,920
came upon him.

865
00:25:47,980 --> 00:25:49,760
He picked up the jawbone of a donkey.

866
00:25:50,760 --> 00:25:53,480
The jawbone of a donkey and flew a

867
00:25:53,480 --> 00:25:54,760
thousand men.

868
00:25:54,920 --> 00:25:55,700
I'm going to be honest with you.

869
00:25:56,240 --> 00:25:59,300
I do not think, I don't think I

870
00:25:59,300 --> 00:26:01,340
should kill a thousand men with a machine

871
00:26:01,340 --> 00:26:01,660
gun.

872
00:26:02,100 --> 00:26:03,700
I think a gang of men could do

873
00:26:03,700 --> 00:26:04,980
anything to one man they wanted to.

874
00:26:05,160 --> 00:26:06,140
I mean, they could get you down.

875
00:26:06,240 --> 00:26:07,760
They can kick you, spit you, beat you.

876
00:26:07,920 --> 00:26:08,880
They can do anything they want to.

877
00:26:08,880 --> 00:26:10,100
And here's a guy that picked up a

878
00:26:10,100 --> 00:26:12,060
little jawbone of a donkey and killed a

879
00:26:12,060 --> 00:26:12,860
thousand people.

880
00:26:12,980 --> 00:26:13,980
Well, that's not somebody I want to mess

881
00:26:13,980 --> 00:26:15,000
with, that's for sure.

882
00:26:15,420 --> 00:26:16,600
And when he was done, he was thirsty

883
00:26:16,600 --> 00:26:17,520
and said, Lord, I'd like to have something

884
00:26:17,520 --> 00:26:17,780
to drink.

885
00:26:17,840 --> 00:26:19,320
God reached down and the Bible says put

886
00:26:19,320 --> 00:26:21,040
a hollow place inside of that jawbone of

887
00:26:21,040 --> 00:26:21,420
that donkey.

888
00:26:21,880 --> 00:26:24,040
There was another time that he found out

889
00:26:24,040 --> 00:26:25,780
that the Philistines had double-crossed him.

890
00:26:26,060 --> 00:26:26,560
So you know what he did?

891
00:26:26,960 --> 00:26:28,980
He went out into the wilderness and he

892
00:26:28,980 --> 00:26:30,120
caught 300 foxes.

893
00:26:31,020 --> 00:26:31,940
Can you imagine that?

894
00:26:32,460 --> 00:26:34,720
I don't believe if I went out hunting

895
00:26:34,720 --> 00:26:37,340
for six months, I could catch three foxes.

896
00:26:37,760 --> 00:26:39,100
And here's a man that went out in

897
00:26:39,100 --> 00:26:41,160
one night and caught 300 of them.

898
00:26:41,460 --> 00:26:42,780
You say, you're foolish to believe that.

899
00:26:42,860 --> 00:26:44,140
You're foolish not to because it's right there

900
00:26:44,140 --> 00:26:44,640
in the Word of God.

901
00:26:44,940 --> 00:26:48,600
He caught 300 actual, physical, actual foxes.

902
00:26:48,920 --> 00:26:50,560
Hey, and if that don't be all, he

903
00:26:50,560 --> 00:26:51,680
tied their tails together.

904
00:26:51,880 --> 00:26:53,780
Man alive, I tell you what, that confuses

905
00:26:53,780 --> 00:26:54,500
me every time I read.

906
00:26:54,680 --> 00:26:56,100
He took 300 foxes.

907
00:26:56,300 --> 00:26:56,940
Now, be still, boys.

908
00:26:57,000 --> 00:26:57,700
You stay right there, boys.

909
00:26:57,740 --> 00:26:58,320
You stay right there.

910
00:26:58,520 --> 00:27:00,500
And he took 300 of them and tied

911
00:27:00,500 --> 00:27:02,520
all of their tails together and then lit

912
00:27:02,520 --> 00:27:03,200
some torches.

913
00:27:03,200 --> 00:27:05,200
The Bible calls them firebrands.

914
00:27:05,880 --> 00:27:09,240
And struck those torches between the tied tails

915
00:27:09,240 --> 00:27:11,660
of those foxes and sent them into the

916
00:27:11,660 --> 00:27:12,900
field of the Philistines.

917
00:27:13,400 --> 00:27:14,380
That's the first time in your Bible you

918
00:27:14,380 --> 00:27:15,500
read about taillights, by the way.

919
00:27:15,580 --> 00:27:18,260
But nonetheless, here is a man that had

920
00:27:18,260 --> 00:27:19,180
the power of God.

921
00:27:19,800 --> 00:27:21,060
Now, there's no doubt about it.

922
00:27:21,380 --> 00:27:23,160
I mean, we could pass out the little

923
00:27:23,160 --> 00:27:24,700
sheet tonight and we could say, check, yes,

924
00:27:24,740 --> 00:27:25,120
check, no.

925
00:27:25,340 --> 00:27:26,860
Dig fast and have a power of God.

926
00:27:27,060 --> 00:27:28,680
And it would take a pretty naive person

927
00:27:28,680 --> 00:27:29,520
to write on their note.

928
00:27:29,600 --> 00:27:31,400
We know he did because over and over

929
00:27:31,400 --> 00:27:32,960
and over and over again, the Bible says

930
00:27:32,960 --> 00:27:34,700
the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon

931
00:27:34,700 --> 00:27:34,900
him.

932
00:27:35,100 --> 00:27:36,520
The Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon

933
00:27:36,520 --> 00:27:36,740
him.

934
00:27:37,180 --> 00:27:39,520
When did the Spirit of the Lord come

935
00:27:39,520 --> 00:27:40,540
mightily upon him?

936
00:27:40,600 --> 00:27:41,120
I'll tell you when.

937
00:27:41,920 --> 00:27:43,540
When he began to flirt around with the

938
00:27:43,540 --> 00:27:44,700
world and he lost his peer.

939
00:27:46,410 --> 00:27:48,730
When Delilah said, OK, if you really love

940
00:27:48,730 --> 00:27:51,350
me, you'll tell me all of your parts.

941
00:27:52,430 --> 00:27:54,090
And there's something about the way that she

942
00:27:54,090 --> 00:27:54,770
said it.

943
00:27:55,190 --> 00:27:57,550
There's something about those eyes that she kind

944
00:27:57,550 --> 00:27:59,950
of magnetized and then drew him in real

945
00:27:59,950 --> 00:28:00,370
tight.

946
00:28:01,010 --> 00:28:02,150
And so he told her the truth.

947
00:28:02,630 --> 00:28:04,450
That night, the Bible says, I mean, after

948
00:28:04,450 --> 00:28:06,070
all these other foolish things, it seems to

949
00:28:06,070 --> 00:28:08,050
me like Samson would have figured it out.

950
00:28:08,510 --> 00:28:09,870
I mean, every single time she did something,

951
00:28:09,950 --> 00:28:10,750
she wrapped him in vines.

952
00:28:10,850 --> 00:28:11,710
She wrapped him in robes.

953
00:28:11,910 --> 00:28:12,770
She braided his hair.

954
00:28:12,970 --> 00:28:14,210
She did all kind of silly things and

955
00:28:14,210 --> 00:28:15,390
said, the foolish things be upon you.

956
00:28:15,530 --> 00:28:16,130
He jumped up.

957
00:28:16,290 --> 00:28:17,470
He had the same power that he always

958
00:28:17,470 --> 00:28:18,770
had, had the same strength that he always

959
00:28:18,770 --> 00:28:18,930
had.

960
00:28:19,110 --> 00:28:20,690
And it just seems to me like Samson

961
00:28:20,690 --> 00:28:21,410
would have caught on.

962
00:28:21,650 --> 00:28:24,470
But there's just something about this woman that

963
00:28:24,470 --> 00:28:27,590
made him completely, totally ignorant and oblivious to

964
00:28:27,590 --> 00:28:29,150
the problems and troubles around him.

965
00:28:29,690 --> 00:28:30,890
Kind of like when your wife comes to

966
00:28:30,890 --> 00:28:32,530
you and says, honey, will you please give

967
00:28:32,530 --> 00:28:33,910
me the credit card so I can go

968
00:28:33,910 --> 00:28:34,550
to JCPenney?

969
00:28:34,650 --> 00:28:35,830
No, you shouldn't do it.

970
00:28:35,870 --> 00:28:37,190
But there's just something about the way that

971
00:28:37,190 --> 00:28:38,790
she acts that makes you have to do

972
00:28:38,790 --> 00:28:38,890
it.

973
00:28:38,930 --> 00:28:39,510
You know what I'm talking about, fellas?

974
00:28:39,790 --> 00:28:40,050
Okay.

975
00:28:40,490 --> 00:28:42,930
And so here's this lady and she said,

976
00:28:42,990 --> 00:28:44,750
please tell me where your strength lies.

977
00:28:44,990 --> 00:28:46,410
He said, okay, never been a razor touched

978
00:28:46,410 --> 00:28:46,990
my head before.

979
00:28:47,250 --> 00:28:48,530
You shaved the seven locks of my head

980
00:28:48,530 --> 00:28:49,730
and my strength to go from me.

981
00:28:49,790 --> 00:28:52,250
And she knew in her heart he was

982
00:28:52,250 --> 00:28:52,430
right.

983
00:28:52,510 --> 00:28:54,650
Now, the problem was he should have never

984
00:28:54,650 --> 00:28:56,590
been that soliciting woman to begin with, according

985
00:28:56,590 --> 00:28:57,210
to the word of God.

986
00:28:57,210 --> 00:28:59,690
He was living a life of immorality.

987
00:29:00,570 --> 00:29:03,710
He involved himself in something he knew was

988
00:29:03,710 --> 00:29:06,310
against the vow of separation that he made

989
00:29:06,310 --> 00:29:06,750
to God.

990
00:29:07,670 --> 00:29:10,590
But he allowed pleasure to get in front

991
00:29:10,590 --> 00:29:11,170
of power.

992
00:29:11,950 --> 00:29:12,650
Didn't bother him anymore.

993
00:29:12,770 --> 00:29:13,770
And you find him at the end of

994
00:29:13,770 --> 00:29:15,490
chapter 16 as a blind man.

995
00:29:16,250 --> 00:29:17,610
His eyes have been gouged out with a

996
00:29:17,610 --> 00:29:18,550
Philistine hot poker.

997
00:29:18,650 --> 00:29:21,430
Now he's grinding mills in a Philistine camp

998
00:29:21,430 --> 00:29:21,810
somewhere.

999
00:29:22,050 --> 00:29:23,230
And we find out there towards the end

1000
00:29:23,230 --> 00:29:24,470
of his life, he prays that God would

1001
00:29:24,470 --> 00:29:24,950
forgive him.

1002
00:29:24,950 --> 00:29:26,350
And he says, let me die with a

1003
00:29:26,350 --> 00:29:26,710
Philistine.

1004
00:29:27,050 --> 00:29:28,170
And he pushes in those pillars.

1005
00:29:28,510 --> 00:29:30,490
And the Bible makes a great statement that

1006
00:29:30,490 --> 00:29:33,130
he flew more in his death than he

1007
00:29:33,130 --> 00:29:34,130
ever did in his life.

1008
00:29:35,030 --> 00:29:38,030
But here's a man who mightily had the

1009
00:29:38,030 --> 00:29:41,250
power of God until he began to part

1010
00:29:41,250 --> 00:29:41,770
with the world.

1011
00:29:43,340 --> 00:29:44,920
Ladies and gentlemen, I've met so many people

1012
00:29:44,920 --> 00:29:47,540
who think to themselves, I'll not be one

1013
00:29:47,540 --> 00:29:48,240
of those numbers.

1014
00:29:49,760 --> 00:29:51,880
I'll not be one of those statistics.

1015
00:29:52,320 --> 00:29:54,520
I can fudge a little here, and I

1016
00:29:54,520 --> 00:29:56,280
can look at this, and it really doesn't

1017
00:29:56,280 --> 00:29:56,800
affect me.

1018
00:29:56,880 --> 00:29:58,500
Oh, it does affect you in a much

1019
00:29:58,500 --> 00:30:00,020
bigger way than you think, ladies and gentlemen.

1020
00:30:00,360 --> 00:30:02,680
You see, those who work in computers, and

1021
00:30:02,680 --> 00:30:04,280
I'm pretty much computer illiterate.

1022
00:30:04,700 --> 00:30:06,440
Those who work in computers tell me that

1023
00:30:06,440 --> 00:30:07,780
they have a little statement, they have a

1024
00:30:07,780 --> 00:30:10,060
little deal that they call GIGO.

1025
00:30:10,380 --> 00:30:12,300
G-I-G-O.

1026
00:30:12,700 --> 00:30:15,840
It means garbage in, garbage out.

1027
00:30:16,440 --> 00:30:18,660
You put garbage in your mind, you'll get

1028
00:30:18,660 --> 00:30:19,640
garbage out of your mind.

1029
00:30:19,640 --> 00:30:21,680
You put garbage in your family, you'll have

1030
00:30:21,680 --> 00:30:22,740
garbage out of your family.

1031
00:30:22,900 --> 00:30:23,160
What?

1032
00:30:23,280 --> 00:30:25,600
You will reap what you sow.

1033
00:30:26,320 --> 00:30:28,600
And so when they say garbage in, garbage

1034
00:30:28,600 --> 00:30:30,160
out, GIGO, you know what I believe?

1035
00:30:30,360 --> 00:30:31,860
I believe God's people need a good dose

1036
00:30:31,860 --> 00:30:32,520
of BIBO, amen?

1037
00:30:32,760 --> 00:30:33,740
Bible in, Bible out.

1038
00:30:33,800 --> 00:30:34,800
You put it in, it'll come out.

1039
00:30:34,860 --> 00:30:35,720
Just be automatic.

1040
00:30:36,000 --> 00:30:36,780
It'll be natural.

1041
00:30:37,180 --> 00:30:39,000
And here was a man who wanted to

1042
00:30:39,000 --> 00:30:40,120
live for God, but all of a sudden

1043
00:30:40,120 --> 00:30:42,840
his pleasure and his pride took precedence over

1044
00:30:42,840 --> 00:30:44,780
the power of God, and he lost his

1045
00:30:44,780 --> 00:30:45,120
purity.

1046
00:30:45,320 --> 00:30:47,440
Therefore, he lost his power.

1047
00:30:47,940 --> 00:30:50,600
And you do not see that phrase over

1048
00:30:50,600 --> 00:30:52,480
and over and over again as you do

1049
00:30:52,480 --> 00:30:54,040
in those early chapters that the Spirit of

1050
00:30:54,040 --> 00:30:55,740
God came mightily upon Samson.

1051
00:30:55,820 --> 00:30:55,960
Why?

1052
00:30:56,260 --> 00:30:59,060
Because those who desire the power of God

1053
00:30:59,060 --> 00:31:00,700
are those who do their dead level best

1054
00:31:00,700 --> 00:31:02,420
to live a life of joy.

1055
00:31:03,000 --> 00:31:04,780
Now, please don't misunderstand me, friends.

1056
00:31:05,320 --> 00:31:06,480
Anybody in this room is going to be

1057
00:31:06,480 --> 00:31:07,980
perfect, including myself, and I'd be lying if

1058
00:31:07,980 --> 00:31:08,440
I told you anything.

1059
00:31:09,160 --> 00:31:11,200
There's areas of our life that we're going

1060
00:31:11,200 --> 00:31:11,960
to have to fix.

1061
00:31:12,540 --> 00:31:14,460
There's areas of our life that we're going

1062
00:31:14,460 --> 00:31:15,340
to have to change.

1063
00:31:15,920 --> 00:31:16,640
Nobody's perfect.

1064
00:31:17,300 --> 00:31:18,700
Somebody said the only reason the Pope thinks

1065
00:31:18,700 --> 00:31:19,960
he is is because he's not married.

1066
00:31:20,060 --> 00:31:21,060
If he was married, his wife would tell

1067
00:31:21,060 --> 00:31:22,420
him different, that's for sure, because mine tells

1068
00:31:22,420 --> 00:31:22,840
me every day.

1069
00:31:22,900 --> 00:31:23,580
But I'm going to tell you something right

1070
00:31:23,580 --> 00:31:23,920
now, friend.

1071
00:31:24,420 --> 00:31:27,080
You will not be perfect, but you will

1072
00:31:27,080 --> 00:31:28,320
want to be different.

1073
00:31:28,620 --> 00:31:29,460
You'll want to be holy.

1074
00:31:29,740 --> 00:31:30,720
And I don't care if they call it

1075
00:31:30,720 --> 00:31:31,200
old-fashioned.

1076
00:31:31,500 --> 00:31:33,120
They say anything they want to say about

1077
00:31:33,120 --> 00:31:35,520
me, but I believe a person that wants

1078
00:31:35,520 --> 00:31:37,980
to be pure will walk right, they will

1079
00:31:37,980 --> 00:31:40,360
talk right, they will dress right, they will

1080
00:31:40,360 --> 00:31:42,080
sit right, they will look at what's right,

1081
00:31:42,160 --> 00:31:42,940
listen to what's right.

1082
00:31:42,940 --> 00:31:44,100
I don't care how old they are.

1083
00:31:44,220 --> 00:31:45,420
I don't care how young they are.

1084
00:31:45,640 --> 00:31:47,400
I don't care what their theological upbringing is.

1085
00:31:47,620 --> 00:31:50,160
If somebody wants to be holy, if they

1086
00:31:50,160 --> 00:31:52,600
want the power of God, they will desire

1087
00:31:52,600 --> 00:31:53,900
purity in their life.

1088
00:31:54,720 --> 00:31:55,560
And they're going to be pure.

1089
00:31:55,980 --> 00:31:57,280
And so, number one, I believe the power

1090
00:31:57,280 --> 00:31:58,100
of God comes through prayer.

1091
00:31:58,340 --> 00:31:59,280
Number two, I believe the power of God

1092
00:31:59,280 --> 00:31:59,880
comes through purity.

1093
00:31:59,960 --> 00:32:01,080
But number three, I believe the power of

1094
00:32:01,080 --> 00:32:02,380
God comes through the pages of God's Word.

1095
00:32:03,600 --> 00:32:05,040
You see, if you're not in the name

1096
00:32:05,040 --> 00:32:06,380
of God, I promise you one thing, you're

1097
00:32:06,380 --> 00:32:07,240
not in the will of God.

1098
00:32:07,640 --> 00:32:08,460
I'll say it again, just in case you

1099
00:32:08,460 --> 00:32:08,820
didn't get it.

1100
00:32:08,880 --> 00:32:09,880
If you're not in the Word of God,

1101
00:32:10,640 --> 00:32:11,640
you're not in the will of God.

1102
00:32:11,640 --> 00:32:14,320
David said in Psalm 143 and verse number

1103
00:32:14,320 --> 00:32:17,320
10, Teach me to do thy will.

1104
00:32:17,500 --> 00:32:19,980
How are we taught the will of God?

1105
00:32:20,180 --> 00:32:21,920
John 16, the Spirit shall lead you into

1106
00:32:21,920 --> 00:32:23,680
all the truth.

1107
00:32:24,100 --> 00:32:25,660
As we say in the courtroom, this is

1108
00:32:25,660 --> 00:32:28,120
the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but

1109
00:32:28,120 --> 00:32:28,560
the truth.

1110
00:32:28,840 --> 00:32:30,980
And ladies and gentlemen, if we really have

1111
00:32:30,980 --> 00:32:33,480
a heartbeat for God's power, if we really

1112
00:32:33,480 --> 00:32:36,460
want God's influence in our life to influence

1113
00:32:36,460 --> 00:32:38,500
other people, we are going to have to

1114
00:32:38,500 --> 00:32:43,760
be people that read the Bible.

1115
00:32:44,440 --> 00:32:47,300
Now understand, I am not a monk.

1116
00:32:47,980 --> 00:32:49,820
I'm not saying that you've got to wear

1117
00:32:49,820 --> 00:32:52,100
a robe that drags the ground and you've

1118
00:32:52,100 --> 00:32:54,060
got to sit in your bedroom for 24

1119
00:32:54,060 --> 00:32:56,740
hours, one day out of the week, and

1120
00:32:56,740 --> 00:32:58,620
you've got to read and read and read.

1121
00:32:58,900 --> 00:33:00,980
That is not what I'm saying, but you

1122
00:33:00,980 --> 00:33:03,340
do need to be a student of the

1123
00:33:03,340 --> 00:33:03,900
Word of God.

1124
00:33:04,900 --> 00:33:06,940
I was telling Pastor in the Robertson family

1125
00:33:06,940 --> 00:33:09,140
today over lunch, I was telling him this

1126
00:33:09,140 --> 00:33:11,100
morning about the man that brought, I believe

1127
00:33:11,100 --> 00:33:14,880
it was, 50, 48, 50, 52, somewhere around

1128
00:33:14,880 --> 00:33:15,320
in that area.

1129
00:33:15,700 --> 00:33:17,420
He brought about 50 people to the revival

1130
00:33:17,420 --> 00:33:18,540
meeting, and you know what happened when we

1131
00:33:18,540 --> 00:33:19,360
gave him that leather Bible?

1132
00:33:20,060 --> 00:33:20,800
He kissed it.

1133
00:33:21,780 --> 00:33:22,780
That's the first thing he did.

1134
00:33:23,200 --> 00:33:24,700
I mean, for the whole, for the 200

1135
00:33:24,700 --> 00:33:26,500
people in that church, he took it and

1136
00:33:26,500 --> 00:33:27,860
gave it a big old kiss right there

1137
00:33:27,860 --> 00:33:29,440
across the front where it said Holy Bible.

1138
00:33:30,440 --> 00:33:30,820
What do you think?

1139
00:33:31,480 --> 00:33:32,600
I wouldn't kiss my Bible.

1140
00:33:32,960 --> 00:33:33,920
That's why you don't have a fire of

1141
00:33:33,920 --> 00:33:34,300
God either.

1142
00:33:35,960 --> 00:33:37,360
Because people all over the world are begging

1143
00:33:37,360 --> 00:33:38,520
for Bibles and you won't even read the

1144
00:33:38,520 --> 00:33:39,040
one you've got.

1145
00:33:40,020 --> 00:33:41,620
We've got them laying all over the house.

1146
00:33:41,900 --> 00:33:43,440
You know, I've just got a 40-foot

1147
00:33:43,440 --> 00:33:44,360
traveling trailer, but I've got them too.

1148
00:33:44,400 --> 00:33:45,580
I've got 15, 20 Bibles in that little

1149
00:33:45,580 --> 00:33:45,940
traveling trailer.

1150
00:33:46,320 --> 00:33:47,740
I mean, we've got them on the coffee

1151
00:33:47,740 --> 00:33:48,140
table.

1152
00:33:48,600 --> 00:33:49,780
I mean, we've got them in the pew

1153
00:33:49,780 --> 00:33:50,080
racks.

1154
00:33:50,100 --> 00:33:51,060
We've got them on the pulpits.

1155
00:33:51,300 --> 00:33:52,380
We've got them on the microwaves.

1156
00:33:52,500 --> 00:33:53,660
Hey, some of them even got them in

1157
00:33:53,660 --> 00:33:54,700
the backseat of your car and they've been

1158
00:33:54,700 --> 00:33:56,020
there so long the sun doesn't dry right

1159
00:33:56,020 --> 00:33:57,000
under the cover and it's all lifted up

1160
00:33:57,000 --> 00:33:57,340
like that.

1161
00:33:58,660 --> 00:34:00,380
People over in China lose their life for

1162
00:34:00,380 --> 00:34:01,480
three pages of the Word of God.

1163
00:34:02,200 --> 00:34:05,460
We've got 791,328 words that we don't

1164
00:34:05,460 --> 00:34:06,980
care anything about what's said.

1165
00:34:08,420 --> 00:34:09,820
And we wonder why our churches are so

1166
00:34:09,820 --> 00:34:10,280
stale.

1167
00:34:11,659 --> 00:34:12,840
We wonder why we're so stagnant.

1168
00:34:12,880 --> 00:34:13,980
We wonder why our kids are living for

1169
00:34:13,980 --> 00:34:15,080
the devil and they don't live for God.

1170
00:34:16,360 --> 00:34:20,380
We wonder why, for example, the school that

1171
00:34:20,380 --> 00:34:24,239
I went to, I wonder why 1995 is

1172
00:34:24,239 --> 00:34:26,580
the last class that birthed a preacher boy.

1173
00:34:27,280 --> 00:34:28,580
I wonder why that is in our Christian

1174
00:34:28,580 --> 00:34:28,800
schools.

1175
00:34:28,900 --> 00:34:29,280
I'll tell you why.

1176
00:34:29,540 --> 00:34:31,600
Because we've lost our love and respect and

1177
00:34:31,600 --> 00:34:33,820
fear, reverence and admiration for the Lord.

1178
00:34:35,389 --> 00:34:36,850
It's become a book to us, friends.

1179
00:34:38,370 --> 00:34:39,429
You see, there used to be a time

1180
00:34:39,429 --> 00:34:40,790
in our churches when we had a book

1181
00:34:40,790 --> 00:34:41,570
that we loved.

1182
00:34:42,650 --> 00:34:44,030
I mean, the preacher would get up and

1183
00:34:44,030 --> 00:34:45,750
I mean, we'd open our Bibles and I

1184
00:34:45,750 --> 00:34:47,650
mean, we'd follow along and we'd enjoy it.

1185
00:34:48,590 --> 00:34:49,850
And we'd get home and we'd, as in

1186
00:34:49,850 --> 00:34:51,270
Acts 13, we'd bring people to Bereans and

1187
00:34:51,270 --> 00:34:52,830
search the Scriptures daily to see whether those

1188
00:34:52,830 --> 00:34:53,310
things were so.

1189
00:34:53,489 --> 00:34:54,730
I mean, we'd get in the Word of

1190
00:34:54,730 --> 00:34:55,790
God and I mean, we'd study.

1191
00:34:56,050 --> 00:34:57,530
But you remember when you first got saved?

1192
00:34:57,790 --> 00:34:59,890
I mean, you couldn't even hardly read the

1193
00:34:59,890 --> 00:35:02,110
Bible without big watermelons tears rolling up your

1194
00:35:02,110 --> 00:35:02,370
eyes.

1195
00:35:02,510 --> 00:35:03,370
And I mean, if you wrote in the

1196
00:35:03,370 --> 00:35:03,950
Bible, that was it.

1197
00:35:03,990 --> 00:35:04,790
You couldn't read the whole page.

1198
00:35:04,890 --> 00:35:05,450
You had to buy a new Bible.

1199
00:35:05,630 --> 00:35:06,830
Because I mean, you smeared that stuff just

1200
00:35:06,830 --> 00:35:08,110
all over the Bible.

1201
00:35:08,190 --> 00:35:08,850
I mean, all over the page.

1202
00:35:09,450 --> 00:35:11,770
I got the very first Bible I ever

1203
00:35:11,770 --> 00:35:12,570
got after I got saved.

1204
00:35:12,770 --> 00:35:13,730
And I'm telling you, I go back to

1205
00:35:13,730 --> 00:35:14,890
that thing, and I'll be honest with you,

1206
00:35:15,030 --> 00:35:16,390
I read some of the things I wrote

1207
00:35:16,390 --> 00:35:17,590
in that Bible and I think, man, I

1208
00:35:17,590 --> 00:35:19,550
was a 16-year-old heretic is what

1209
00:35:19,550 --> 00:35:19,850
I was.

1210
00:35:19,950 --> 00:35:20,830
I mean, I said some of the most

1211
00:35:20,830 --> 00:35:22,030
ridiculous things, but you know what?

1212
00:35:22,750 --> 00:35:23,670
Man, I was sincere.

1213
00:35:24,750 --> 00:35:26,370
Man, I didn't know a Bible from a

1214
00:35:26,370 --> 00:35:27,570
phone book when I first got saved.

1215
00:35:27,610 --> 00:35:29,810
I'm telling you, I wanted to devour it.

1216
00:35:30,290 --> 00:35:31,630
I mean, I wanted to read it.

1217
00:35:31,730 --> 00:35:32,890
I go back and read some of the

1218
00:35:32,890 --> 00:35:33,430
things I wrote.

1219
00:35:33,470 --> 00:35:34,570
I believe it was foolish, but I'm going

1220
00:35:34,570 --> 00:35:36,130
to tell you, I learned and I grew

1221
00:35:36,130 --> 00:35:36,750
through those times.

1222
00:35:36,870 --> 00:35:38,970
And we talk about growing in grace and

1223
00:35:38,970 --> 00:35:40,210
in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior

1224
00:35:40,210 --> 00:35:41,690
Jesus Christ, 2 Peter 3, 18.

1225
00:35:41,930 --> 00:35:43,150
How are you going to grow in grace?

1226
00:35:44,070 --> 00:35:45,470
If you're not in the Word of God.

1227
00:35:46,510 --> 00:35:48,470
We're going to have to get back to

1228
00:35:48,470 --> 00:35:50,530
the place where it's not just a little

1229
00:35:50,530 --> 00:35:52,550
kid's song, but we're going to have to

1230
00:35:52,550 --> 00:35:54,050
get back to the place where we believe

1231
00:35:54,050 --> 00:35:55,210
the B-I-B-L-E.

1232
00:35:55,310 --> 00:35:56,530
Yes, that's the book for me.

1233
00:35:56,850 --> 00:35:58,490
I stand alone on the Word of God.

1234
00:35:58,770 --> 00:36:01,810
The B-I-B-L-E.

1235
00:36:02,690 --> 00:36:03,610
Now, I don't have to argue with people

1236
00:36:03,610 --> 00:36:04,450
if I've got a perfect Bible.

1237
00:36:04,710 --> 00:36:05,590
If you don't think I have a perfect

1238
00:36:05,590 --> 00:36:06,290
Bible, that's fine.

1239
00:36:06,370 --> 00:36:07,710
I know I've got a perfect Bible and

1240
00:36:07,710 --> 00:36:08,650
you've got a right to be wrong if

1241
00:36:08,650 --> 00:36:09,030
you want to.

1242
00:36:09,130 --> 00:36:11,330
I know the Word of God is true.

1243
00:36:11,550 --> 00:36:12,330
I know it's right.

1244
00:36:12,530 --> 00:36:13,450
I know it's a liberal state.

1245
00:36:13,650 --> 00:36:14,610
I know it's a modernist state.

1246
00:36:14,610 --> 00:36:15,990
I know all of them say, well, there's

1247
00:36:15,990 --> 00:36:17,450
no way you can have a copy of

1248
00:36:17,450 --> 00:36:18,170
a perfect Bible.

1249
00:36:18,390 --> 00:36:20,210
Well, they may not have one, but I've

1250
00:36:20,210 --> 00:36:21,330
got a Bible that's complete.

1251
00:36:21,590 --> 00:36:22,810
I've got a Bible that's inerrant.

1252
00:36:23,030 --> 00:36:24,330
I've got a Bible that's infallible.

1253
00:36:24,510 --> 00:36:24,990
And you know what?

1254
00:36:25,150 --> 00:36:27,550
I don't have to waste my ministry arguing

1255
00:36:27,550 --> 00:36:28,170
about that.

1256
00:36:28,290 --> 00:36:29,930
I know it's the Word of God.

1257
00:36:30,110 --> 00:36:32,230
Whether you believe it or not, whether you

1258
00:36:32,230 --> 00:36:33,890
like it or not, whether you want it

1259
00:36:33,890 --> 00:36:34,830
or not, that's fine.

1260
00:36:34,910 --> 00:36:36,550
The ball's in your court, but I know

1261
00:36:36,550 --> 00:36:38,250
I've got the Word of God tonight, friend.

1262
00:36:38,490 --> 00:36:40,230
And I'm telling you, it's a book that

1263
00:36:40,230 --> 00:36:42,290
needs to be precious to God's people.

1264
00:36:42,290 --> 00:36:44,050
It is a book that needs to be

1265
00:36:44,050 --> 00:36:46,250
loved and reverenced.

1266
00:36:46,950 --> 00:36:49,310
And as David said in Psalm 119, verse

1267
00:36:49,310 --> 00:36:50,850
number 11, I'll have the Word of God

1268
00:36:50,850 --> 00:36:51,550
in my hands.

1269
00:36:52,490 --> 00:36:54,110
And I might not sin against God.

1270
00:36:54,930 --> 00:36:57,190
2 Peter chapter 2 and verse number 15,

1271
00:36:57,370 --> 00:36:57,610
study.

1272
00:36:58,350 --> 00:37:00,010
You say, well, that's a preacher verse.

1273
00:37:00,110 --> 00:37:01,070
No, that's a Christian verse.

1274
00:37:02,130 --> 00:37:04,430
Study to show thyself approved unto God.

1275
00:37:05,370 --> 00:37:07,670
A workman, see, it's work to study the

1276
00:37:07,670 --> 00:37:07,930
Bible.

1277
00:37:08,690 --> 00:37:11,050
A workman that needeth not to be ashamed,

1278
00:37:11,650 --> 00:37:14,330
rightly dividing the Word of truth.

1279
00:37:14,870 --> 00:37:16,590
Now, you know, if God tells us we're

1280
00:37:16,590 --> 00:37:19,010
to rightly divide the Word of truth, then

1281
00:37:19,010 --> 00:37:20,430
does it not stand to reason, ladies and

1282
00:37:20,430 --> 00:37:22,070
gentlemen, that some people can wrongly divide the

1283
00:37:22,070 --> 00:37:22,450
Word of truth?

1284
00:37:23,710 --> 00:37:24,970
And that's why our churches and the messes

1285
00:37:24,970 --> 00:37:25,230
are in.

1286
00:37:25,410 --> 00:37:27,530
Because we are more content to divide the

1287
00:37:27,530 --> 00:37:29,970
newspaper and the Sports Illustrated and the Time

1288
00:37:29,970 --> 00:37:32,690
Magazine and the Reader's Digest and just content

1289
00:37:32,690 --> 00:37:34,450
to let our Bible sit on a shelf.

1290
00:37:34,450 --> 00:37:35,790
And the only reason we bring them to

1291
00:37:35,790 --> 00:37:37,370
church is because it matches a new outfit

1292
00:37:37,370 --> 00:37:38,690
we just bought at the shopping mall.

1293
00:37:39,950 --> 00:37:41,110
And I'm telling you, friends, we're going to

1294
00:37:41,110 --> 00:37:42,390
have to get back to the place where

1295
00:37:42,390 --> 00:37:44,430
we devour the pages of the Word of

1296
00:37:44,430 --> 00:37:44,730
God.

1297
00:37:46,290 --> 00:37:49,050
Please, please don't tell me that you want

1298
00:37:49,050 --> 00:37:49,790
God's power.

1299
00:37:50,770 --> 00:37:52,790
But you never get into the book because

1300
00:37:52,790 --> 00:37:54,990
those who are serious about the power of

1301
00:37:54,990 --> 00:37:57,970
God are those who are serious about this

1302
00:37:57,970 --> 00:37:58,290
Bible.

1303
00:37:59,470 --> 00:38:02,050
Much more could be said, but for time's

1304
00:38:02,050 --> 00:38:02,970
sake, we must move on.

1305
00:38:03,450 --> 00:38:05,370
Number one, the power of God comes through

1306
00:38:05,370 --> 00:38:05,730
prayer.

1307
00:38:06,690 --> 00:38:08,530
I believe the power of God comes through

1308
00:38:08,530 --> 00:38:11,650
a great admiration for the pages of God's

1309
00:38:11,650 --> 00:38:11,870
Word.

1310
00:38:11,930 --> 00:38:13,510
I believe it comes through purity, wanting to

1311
00:38:13,510 --> 00:38:14,670
live a holy and righteous life.

1312
00:38:14,710 --> 00:38:16,030
But I also believe the power of God

1313
00:38:16,030 --> 00:38:17,450
comes through a passion.

1314
00:38:18,690 --> 00:38:20,010
You see, I learned something when I was

1315
00:38:20,010 --> 00:38:20,570
in Bible college.

1316
00:38:20,670 --> 00:38:22,510
Dr. Ron Comfort used to say this little

1317
00:38:22,510 --> 00:38:23,610
phrase all the time, and he meant it

1318
00:38:23,610 --> 00:38:24,110
about everything.

1319
00:38:24,590 --> 00:38:27,030
You get what you go after.

1320
00:38:27,890 --> 00:38:29,210
If I heard him say it once, I

1321
00:38:29,210 --> 00:38:30,070
heard him say it a blue jig in

1322
00:38:30,070 --> 00:38:30,330
time.

1323
00:38:30,330 --> 00:38:32,670
You get what you go after.

1324
00:38:33,070 --> 00:38:34,670
You get what you go after.

1325
00:38:35,070 --> 00:38:35,450
And you know what?

1326
00:38:35,510 --> 00:38:36,250
I'll be honest with you.

1327
00:38:36,630 --> 00:38:38,730
If you want the power of God, it's

1328
00:38:38,730 --> 00:38:40,110
available to you according to what the Bible

1329
00:38:40,110 --> 00:38:40,390
says.

1330
00:38:41,350 --> 00:38:42,710
And if you really want God's power, you

1331
00:38:42,710 --> 00:38:43,750
think God's going to stand up in heaven,

1332
00:38:43,830 --> 00:38:44,730
he's going to kind of twirl his thumbs,

1333
00:38:44,830 --> 00:38:45,690
stick around, pop a can, and say, you

1334
00:38:45,690 --> 00:38:46,690
know what, I think I'll play a good

1335
00:38:46,690 --> 00:38:47,950
old round of hide-and-go-seek with

1336
00:38:47,950 --> 00:38:48,050
them.

1337
00:38:48,270 --> 00:38:49,990
When they seek me, I'll not let them

1338
00:38:49,990 --> 00:38:50,490
find me.

1339
00:38:50,630 --> 00:38:52,270
When they want the power of God, I'll

1340
00:38:52,270 --> 00:38:53,890
make them weep and squall a bucket of

1341
00:38:53,890 --> 00:38:55,370
tears, but I'll never give it to them.

1342
00:38:55,470 --> 00:38:57,250
I'll just sit up here and have myself

1343
00:38:57,250 --> 00:38:58,730
a heavenly laugh.

1344
00:38:58,730 --> 00:39:00,330
I'll just sit up here and I'll laugh

1345
00:39:00,330 --> 00:39:02,690
and I'll enjoy their suffering and their temptations

1346
00:39:02,690 --> 00:39:03,230
and their thoughts.

1347
00:39:03,470 --> 00:39:05,170
No, if you want the power of God,

1348
00:39:05,210 --> 00:39:06,870
according to my Bible, it is a promise,

1349
00:39:06,990 --> 00:39:08,750
it is a fact that you can have

1350
00:39:08,750 --> 00:39:10,770
the power of God.

1351
00:39:11,390 --> 00:39:12,430
Think about something just for a moment.

1352
00:39:12,490 --> 00:39:13,610
For time's sake, please don't turn there.

1353
00:39:13,670 --> 00:39:14,870
One of my favorite chapters in the Bible

1354
00:39:14,870 --> 00:39:15,930
is Philippians chapter 3.

1355
00:39:16,670 --> 00:39:17,770
I believe, as a matter of fact, and

1356
00:39:17,770 --> 00:39:19,010
my memory serves me correct, when I was

1357
00:39:19,010 --> 00:39:20,350
here last year, I preached the message on

1358
00:39:20,350 --> 00:39:20,750
Wednesday night.

1359
00:39:20,810 --> 00:39:21,950
Keep your eyes on the prize.

1360
00:39:22,170 --> 00:39:24,030
Philippians chapter 3, verse 1 through verse number,

1361
00:39:24,090 --> 00:39:24,810
I think, 14.

1362
00:39:25,610 --> 00:39:26,950
Apostle, I preach to the Lord for the

1363
00:39:26,950 --> 00:39:28,170
prize of the high calling of God in

1364
00:39:28,170 --> 00:39:28,750
Christ Jesus.

1365
00:39:29,050 --> 00:39:30,310
Let us therefore as many as be perfect

1366
00:39:30,310 --> 00:39:32,470
be thus minded, verse 15, and if anything

1367
00:39:32,470 --> 00:39:34,230
you be otherwise minded, God shall reveal His

1368
00:39:34,230 --> 00:39:35,030
goodness unto you.

1369
00:39:35,450 --> 00:39:37,070
And I remember I told you this, and

1370
00:39:37,070 --> 00:39:38,690
I suppose that maybe you remember, maybe you

1371
00:39:38,690 --> 00:39:39,590
don't, but you know what the theme of

1372
00:39:39,590 --> 00:39:40,490
the book of Philippians is?

1373
00:39:40,550 --> 00:39:40,970
It's joy.

1374
00:39:41,790 --> 00:39:42,510
Four chapters.

1375
00:39:43,170 --> 00:39:43,710
That's it.

1376
00:39:45,250 --> 00:39:48,330
Four short chapters and 17 times the Apostle

1377
00:39:48,330 --> 00:39:50,730
Paul uses the word joy or rejoice.

1378
00:39:51,610 --> 00:39:53,190
Over and over again, rejoicing the Lord all

1379
00:39:53,190 --> 00:39:54,010
the way, and again I say rejoice.

1380
00:39:54,010 --> 00:39:56,430
He told those people to have joy in

1381
00:39:56,430 --> 00:39:56,710
God.

1382
00:39:56,930 --> 00:39:59,570
Now, how could Paul write about joy?

1383
00:40:00,790 --> 00:40:03,150
Whenever he was writing this, he was not

1384
00:40:03,150 --> 00:40:04,710
in the Hilton High Rise Hotel, but he

1385
00:40:04,710 --> 00:40:07,130
was on the stony jail cell, cold, rat

1386
00:40:07,130 --> 00:40:11,070
-infested, rope-crawling floor of a Roman province

1387
00:40:11,070 --> 00:40:11,770
prison.

1388
00:40:12,170 --> 00:40:13,390
How could he write about joy?

1389
00:40:13,670 --> 00:40:15,390
I think I could write about joy because

1390
00:40:15,390 --> 00:40:17,290
he said in Philippians chapter 3, verse number

1391
00:40:17,290 --> 00:40:22,170
10, that I may know him, and the

1392
00:40:22,170 --> 00:40:25,250
power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of

1393
00:40:25,250 --> 00:40:29,230
his son, being made confirmable, same word of

1394
00:40:29,230 --> 00:40:31,950
Romans 8, 28 and 29, being made confirmable

1395
00:40:31,950 --> 00:40:34,690
unto his death, if by any means I

1396
00:40:34,690 --> 00:40:36,190
might attain to the resurrection of the dead.

1397
00:40:36,670 --> 00:40:39,090
What is it, ladies and gentlemen, that made

1398
00:40:39,090 --> 00:40:42,310
the Apostle Paul the man that he was?

1399
00:40:43,390 --> 00:40:45,330
If I could ask it this way, what

1400
00:40:45,330 --> 00:40:47,070
made him?

1401
00:40:49,020 --> 00:40:51,140
This past Easter, the Robertson family and myself,

1402
00:40:51,200 --> 00:40:53,480
we started a revival meeting at the Friendship

1403
00:40:53,480 --> 00:40:55,640
Baptist Church of Tennessee City, Tennessee, this little

1404
00:40:55,640 --> 00:40:57,840
town outside of Dixon, basically Dixon, just a

1405
00:40:57,840 --> 00:40:59,420
little suburb of Nashville, way out a little

1406
00:40:59,420 --> 00:40:59,560
bit.

1407
00:41:00,280 --> 00:41:02,260
And I've been there on several occasions, and

1408
00:41:02,260 --> 00:41:04,000
the pastor has left since then for good

1409
00:41:04,000 --> 00:41:05,420
reasons, and went to another church, but we

1410
00:41:05,420 --> 00:41:06,240
were there, and we had one of those

1411
00:41:06,240 --> 00:41:08,940
early Easter morning services around 6.30, 7

1412
00:41:08,940 --> 00:41:10,340
o'clock, something like that, and had their

1413
00:41:10,340 --> 00:41:11,960
regular service at 11, whatever it was, those

1414
00:41:11,960 --> 00:41:13,420
Sunday schools and the evening service, and we

1415
00:41:13,420 --> 00:41:14,200
went on through the week, and we'd have

1416
00:41:14,200 --> 00:41:14,680
a great time.

1417
00:41:14,740 --> 00:41:16,360
Wednesday night, Thursday night, one of those little

1418
00:41:16,360 --> 00:41:17,740
mid-of-the-week type of nights.

1419
00:41:18,200 --> 00:41:19,200
We was at the back, and we were

1420
00:41:19,200 --> 00:41:20,840
shaking hands, we were thanking people and saying,

1421
00:41:20,920 --> 00:41:22,160
God bless you for coming, and folks were

1422
00:41:22,160 --> 00:41:25,180
coming by buying books off the table, and

1423
00:41:25,180 --> 00:41:26,400
tapes off the table, and things like that.

1424
00:41:26,760 --> 00:41:28,540
And this man came by me, and I

1425
00:41:28,540 --> 00:41:30,180
know him, and I feel him.

1426
00:41:30,200 --> 00:41:31,120
Matter of fact, I was in a meeting

1427
00:41:31,120 --> 00:41:32,780
in that area not too long ago, and

1428
00:41:32,780 --> 00:41:33,340
he showed up.

1429
00:41:33,400 --> 00:41:35,160
We had a Sunday afternoon service, and this

1430
00:41:35,160 --> 00:41:35,520
guy showed up.

1431
00:41:35,660 --> 00:41:37,120
He's a good friend, but he scared me

1432
00:41:37,120 --> 00:41:38,520
just a little bit that afternoon, that's for

1433
00:41:38,520 --> 00:41:39,020
sure, that evening.

1434
00:41:39,020 --> 00:41:40,420
And so we was out there, and he

1435
00:41:40,420 --> 00:41:40,940
was shaking my hand.

1436
00:41:40,980 --> 00:41:42,140
God bless you, brother, I appreciate it so

1437
00:41:42,140 --> 00:41:42,420
much.

1438
00:41:42,520 --> 00:41:43,720
And he's patting me on the back.

1439
00:41:43,820 --> 00:41:45,560
I don't mind people patting me on the

1440
00:41:45,560 --> 00:41:45,760
back.

1441
00:41:46,080 --> 00:41:47,740
And the first patting on the back, had

1442
00:41:47,740 --> 00:41:49,020
a suit on, and I'm getting all ready

1443
00:41:49,020 --> 00:41:50,160
to get out the door, and I'm just

1444
00:41:50,160 --> 00:41:51,120
kind of talking to people, God bless you,

1445
00:41:51,120 --> 00:41:51,980
God bless you, God bless you, trying to

1446
00:41:51,980 --> 00:41:53,400
shake everybody's hands, trying to be cordial to

1447
00:41:53,400 --> 00:41:55,320
everybody, tired, a little bit weary from preaching.

1448
00:41:55,700 --> 00:41:57,320
And so this guy starts shaking my hand,

1449
00:41:57,380 --> 00:41:58,140
starts patting me on the back.

1450
00:41:58,360 --> 00:41:59,500
Then he kind of goes down the middle

1451
00:41:59,500 --> 00:42:01,040
of my back, and he's like, just kind

1452
00:42:01,040 --> 00:42:01,720
of patting me on the back.

1453
00:42:01,800 --> 00:42:03,080
And I'm thinking, okay, you've patted me on

1454
00:42:03,080 --> 00:42:04,600
the back enough, God bless you, I know

1455
00:42:04,600 --> 00:42:05,840
you appreciate the message, now go home.

1456
00:42:09,020 --> 00:42:10,120
And I said, you know what's this guy

1457
00:42:10,120 --> 00:42:10,300
doing?

1458
00:42:10,500 --> 00:42:11,840
Well, I have my coat unbuttoned, you know,

1459
00:42:11,880 --> 00:42:12,820
and it's kind of free, and I always

1460
00:42:12,820 --> 00:42:14,020
talk with my hands, as you can imagine,

1461
00:42:14,080 --> 00:42:14,540
as you can tell.

1462
00:42:14,940 --> 00:42:16,760
And he took the back of my suit

1463
00:42:16,760 --> 00:42:16,860
coat.

1464
00:42:16,900 --> 00:42:17,880
I mean, it's a gospel truth.

1465
00:42:18,060 --> 00:42:19,320
He took the back of my suit coat

1466
00:42:19,320 --> 00:42:20,700
and lifted it up just about to my

1467
00:42:20,700 --> 00:42:20,960
head.

1468
00:42:21,640 --> 00:42:24,120
And I'm thinking, huh, okay, mister, I've never

1469
00:42:24,120 --> 00:42:25,180
hit a man in the church, but I'm

1470
00:42:25,180 --> 00:42:26,640
just about coming well-nined to it, amen.

1471
00:42:26,740 --> 00:42:28,480
So he lifts up my jacket, he takes

1472
00:42:28,480 --> 00:42:29,540
his hand, runs it up the back of

1473
00:42:29,540 --> 00:42:31,540
my jacket, starts patting me on the back.

1474
00:42:32,380 --> 00:42:33,420
And I turned around and I said, please

1475
00:42:33,420 --> 00:42:34,280
tell me what you're doing.

1476
00:42:35,000 --> 00:42:36,980
And he said, I'm looking for your wind

1477
00:42:36,980 --> 00:42:37,440
-up mechanism.

1478
00:42:39,140 --> 00:42:41,320
He said, I'm looking for that little spot

1479
00:42:41,320 --> 00:42:43,100
that your wife just kind of cranks you

1480
00:42:43,100 --> 00:42:44,640
up and lets you go before you can

1481
00:42:44,640 --> 00:42:45,120
preach it.

1482
00:42:45,700 --> 00:42:46,140
You know what?

1483
00:42:46,220 --> 00:42:48,260
Philippians chapter 3 and verse number 10 was

1484
00:42:48,260 --> 00:42:49,500
Paul's wind-up mechanism.

1485
00:42:50,440 --> 00:42:51,580
It was his crank.

1486
00:42:52,420 --> 00:42:56,400
But I may know him, not know about

1487
00:42:56,400 --> 00:42:56,520
him.

1488
00:42:56,580 --> 00:42:58,440
We know a lot about God, but that's

1489
00:42:58,440 --> 00:42:59,200
not going to get us anywhere.

1490
00:42:59,880 --> 00:43:02,520
He said, but I may know him and

1491
00:43:02,520 --> 00:43:03,720
the power of his resurrection.

1492
00:43:04,740 --> 00:43:05,940
And by the way, he didn't stop with

1493
00:43:05,940 --> 00:43:07,300
just the power of his resurrection.

1494
00:43:07,300 --> 00:43:09,240
He said, and the fellowship of his suffering.

1495
00:43:09,600 --> 00:43:11,280
You know, Paul told God's people, if you're

1496
00:43:11,280 --> 00:43:12,220
going to be a person that knows much

1497
00:43:12,220 --> 00:43:13,220
about the power of God, you're going to

1498
00:43:13,220 --> 00:43:14,680
be a person that knows much about heartache.

1499
00:43:15,920 --> 00:43:16,840
You're going to be a person that knows

1500
00:43:16,840 --> 00:43:20,360
much about loss, and anxiety, and yes, sometimes

1501
00:43:20,360 --> 00:43:22,980
disturbance, and hard times.

1502
00:43:23,720 --> 00:43:24,700
And I'm not going to go into all

1503
00:43:24,700 --> 00:43:26,700
the details and all the illustration, all the

1504
00:43:26,700 --> 00:43:28,120
ramifications, but I'll tell you something.

1505
00:43:28,460 --> 00:43:29,480
And I was a little bit mad about

1506
00:43:29,480 --> 00:43:30,440
this, and I was a little bit mad

1507
00:43:30,440 --> 00:43:30,900
about that.

1508
00:43:31,140 --> 00:43:32,380
And you remember last time I was here,

1509
00:43:32,420 --> 00:43:33,340
I was struggling with my voice.

1510
00:43:33,420 --> 00:43:34,260
Well, that had a lot to do with

1511
00:43:34,260 --> 00:43:35,520
it when they said I had the nodules

1512
00:43:35,520 --> 00:43:36,040
and all that stuff.

1513
00:43:36,040 --> 00:43:36,920
And I didn't know when I was here

1514
00:43:36,920 --> 00:43:37,100
then.

1515
00:43:37,180 --> 00:43:37,800
I found out in August.

1516
00:43:37,900 --> 00:43:38,400
And I'm going to tell you, me and

1517
00:43:38,400 --> 00:43:39,240
Don had a little fight, buddy.

1518
00:43:39,540 --> 00:43:40,420
And I got back there, and I was

1519
00:43:40,420 --> 00:43:41,880
pulling fist punches with God.

1520
00:43:41,920 --> 00:43:43,240
And I was arguing about this, and saying,

1521
00:43:43,340 --> 00:43:44,580
hey, I don't believe this, and I don't

1522
00:43:44,580 --> 00:43:45,180
appreciate this.

1523
00:43:45,360 --> 00:43:46,900
And I'm telling you, as an evangelist, as

1524
00:43:46,900 --> 00:43:49,120
a full-time evangelist, I gave God the

1525
00:43:49,120 --> 00:43:49,480
runaround.

1526
00:43:49,580 --> 00:43:51,560
I was upset, hands down.

1527
00:43:51,640 --> 00:43:52,460
And by the way, I got on the

1528
00:43:52,460 --> 00:43:53,540
footpath that night on the camp, and I

1529
00:43:53,540 --> 00:43:53,800
preached.

1530
00:43:54,080 --> 00:43:55,220
And I preached just like I always did,

1531
00:43:55,240 --> 00:43:56,380
and I wasn't no more right with God

1532
00:43:56,380 --> 00:43:57,200
than a bum on the street.

1533
00:43:57,380 --> 00:43:58,420
I knew I didn't have the power of

1534
00:43:58,420 --> 00:43:58,820
God that night.

1535
00:43:58,840 --> 00:43:59,720
I just got up and preached a little

1536
00:43:59,720 --> 00:44:01,520
old Microwave sermon at some youth camp that

1537
00:44:01,520 --> 00:44:03,000
I preached before there at Camp Kittak in

1538
00:44:03,000 --> 00:44:03,400
Wisconsin.

1539
00:44:03,780 --> 00:44:05,240
And I'm telling you, I was struggling in

1540
00:44:05,240 --> 00:44:05,540
my heart.

1541
00:44:05,640 --> 00:44:06,820
I knew I wasn't no more right with

1542
00:44:06,820 --> 00:44:07,300
God than anything.

1543
00:44:07,560 --> 00:44:08,960
And I was mad, and I went back

1544
00:44:08,960 --> 00:44:10,240
home that night, and I was still upset,

1545
00:44:10,360 --> 00:44:11,360
and I was still mad in my heart.

1546
00:44:11,520 --> 00:44:12,720
And I told God, you know, I get

1547
00:44:12,720 --> 00:44:14,360
up and say, hey, you're not supposed to

1548
00:44:14,360 --> 00:44:15,400
tell God why.

1549
00:44:15,700 --> 00:44:16,940
And that's real good preaching until you go

1550
00:44:16,940 --> 00:44:17,420
through a trial.

1551
00:44:18,700 --> 00:44:20,400
But it's real easy to say, hey, trust

1552
00:44:20,400 --> 00:44:22,600
God, until you go through a trial and

1553
00:44:22,600 --> 00:44:23,440
you've got to trust God.

1554
00:44:24,340 --> 00:44:26,600
But when the rubber meets the road, that's

1555
00:44:26,600 --> 00:44:27,480
when it's real preaching.

1556
00:44:28,220 --> 00:44:29,420
And I got back there, and I'm telling

1557
00:44:29,420 --> 00:44:31,960
you, I was...

1558
00:44:32,940 --> 00:44:35,240
Now, I do not believe in coincidence, but

1559
00:44:35,240 --> 00:44:36,180
I do believe in providence.

1560
00:44:37,080 --> 00:44:38,900
At that time, I was just nominally reading

1561
00:44:38,900 --> 00:44:40,140
through my Bible, reading a few things.

1562
00:44:40,180 --> 00:44:41,440
And I was reading a book that I've

1563
00:44:41,440 --> 00:44:43,000
read, I don't know, three, four, five times.

1564
00:44:43,660 --> 00:44:44,820
It's called The Pursuit of God by A.

1565
00:44:44,840 --> 00:44:44,960
W.

1566
00:44:45,060 --> 00:44:45,240
Tosin.

1567
00:44:45,280 --> 00:44:46,080
You ever get a chance to grab that

1568
00:44:46,080 --> 00:44:46,820
book, you ought to pick it up.

1569
00:44:46,840 --> 00:44:47,800
It's one of the best books you'll ever

1570
00:44:47,800 --> 00:44:48,660
read in your life.

1571
00:44:48,760 --> 00:44:49,200
Now, it's deep.

1572
00:44:49,620 --> 00:44:50,460
You don't sit down and read it in

1573
00:44:50,460 --> 00:44:50,860
one night.

1574
00:44:50,940 --> 00:44:51,800
I mean, it ain't a coffee book.

1575
00:44:51,880 --> 00:44:53,020
I mean, you read it, and I'm here

1576
00:44:53,020 --> 00:44:54,380
to convict you and wear you out, and

1577
00:44:54,380 --> 00:44:55,400
you better have a highlighter and an ink

1578
00:44:55,400 --> 00:44:56,920
pen, because, buddy, you'll be writing 90 miles

1579
00:44:56,920 --> 00:44:58,460
to nothing when God gets ahold of you

1580
00:44:58,460 --> 00:44:59,240
when you read that book.

1581
00:44:59,680 --> 00:45:01,980
It's probably, outside of the Bible, it's hands

1582
00:45:01,980 --> 00:45:02,180
down.

1583
00:45:02,240 --> 00:45:03,000
There's no problem about it.

1584
00:45:03,020 --> 00:45:04,700
It is hands down the greatest book I've

1585
00:45:04,700 --> 00:45:05,420
ever read in my life.

1586
00:45:05,500 --> 00:45:07,160
It's challenged me, convicted me, and changed me

1587
00:45:07,160 --> 00:45:08,540
more than any other book outside the Bible.

1588
00:45:09,860 --> 00:45:11,840
During that hard time in my life, I

1589
00:45:11,840 --> 00:45:13,420
was going through that trial, and I came

1590
00:45:13,420 --> 00:45:14,700
to a particular chapter, and I began to

1591
00:45:14,700 --> 00:45:14,860
read.

1592
00:45:14,900 --> 00:45:15,200
You know what A.

1593
00:45:15,220 --> 00:45:15,340
W.

1594
00:45:15,420 --> 00:45:16,300
Tosin said right in the middle of that

1595
00:45:16,300 --> 00:45:16,420
book?

1596
00:45:16,440 --> 00:45:17,200
I wrote it right here in the trial.

1597
00:45:17,220 --> 00:45:17,620
It's my Bible.

1598
00:45:17,800 --> 00:45:18,600
I'll never want to forget it.

1599
00:45:18,740 --> 00:45:20,600
He said, it is doubtful, you hear me

1600
00:45:20,600 --> 00:45:24,040
and hear me well, it is doubtful that

1601
00:45:24,040 --> 00:45:28,000
God will ever use a man greatly until

1602
00:45:28,000 --> 00:45:29,160
he hurts a man deeply.

1603
00:45:30,780 --> 00:45:31,480
You know what Paul said?

1604
00:45:32,260 --> 00:45:33,300
Paul said the same thing.

1605
00:45:34,300 --> 00:45:35,920
I want to know Him, the power of

1606
00:45:35,920 --> 00:45:39,660
His resurrection, and the fellowship of His grace.

1607
00:45:39,760 --> 00:45:41,060
And Paul said, no matter what it takes,

1608
00:45:41,400 --> 00:45:42,960
no matter how my heart breaks, they can

1609
00:45:42,960 --> 00:45:45,000
spit, they can laugh, they can scoff, that

1610
00:45:45,000 --> 00:45:45,600
is fine.

1611
00:45:45,920 --> 00:45:50,780
But Paul had an undying passion to know

1612
00:45:50,780 --> 00:45:51,520
God like that.

1613
00:45:52,890 --> 00:45:53,570
You know what?

1614
00:45:54,290 --> 00:45:55,770
You can read your Bible every day.

1615
00:45:56,970 --> 00:45:59,270
You can pray every day.

1616
00:46:00,490 --> 00:46:03,030
You can try to live the holiest life

1617
00:46:03,030 --> 00:46:05,470
on the face of God's green earth.

1618
00:46:07,190 --> 00:46:08,870
But if you have no passion for the

1619
00:46:08,870 --> 00:46:11,070
power of God, it will all be routine,

1620
00:46:11,370 --> 00:46:11,930
ruthless.

1621
00:46:13,830 --> 00:46:15,130
You're going to have to want the power

1622
00:46:15,130 --> 00:46:15,890
of God from Him.

1623
00:46:16,870 --> 00:46:18,430
You're going to have to have a passion.

1624
00:46:18,710 --> 00:46:19,790
You're going to have to go on a

1625
00:46:19,790 --> 00:46:22,730
quest as the heart passes after the water,

1626
00:46:22,730 --> 00:46:24,050
and the heart will so pass my soul

1627
00:46:24,050 --> 00:46:25,090
after the old God.

1628
00:46:25,490 --> 00:46:27,250
Psalm chapter 42, verse number 2.

1629
00:46:27,970 --> 00:46:30,290
David said, I will be satisfied when I

1630
00:46:30,290 --> 00:46:31,270
awake with thy lightening.

1631
00:46:31,570 --> 00:46:32,750
Now that's an interesting verse for you.

1632
00:46:33,550 --> 00:46:35,250
David said, I won't be satisfied until I

1633
00:46:35,250 --> 00:46:36,150
look in the mirror and look just like

1634
00:46:36,150 --> 00:46:36,450
Jesus.

1635
00:46:37,250 --> 00:46:40,010
He said, I won't be satisfied until my

1636
00:46:40,010 --> 00:46:43,330
passions are fulfilled and I know that the

1637
00:46:43,330 --> 00:46:44,990
power of God is upon my heart.

1638
00:46:45,110 --> 00:46:45,690
Hey, what's your passion?

1639
00:46:45,770 --> 00:46:46,550
You want to make a lot of money?

1640
00:46:46,630 --> 00:46:46,970
That's fine.

1641
00:46:47,010 --> 00:46:47,830
Have every dime of it.

1642
00:46:48,750 --> 00:46:50,170
You want to have fancy houses, fancy cars?

1643
00:46:50,230 --> 00:46:51,530
Ain't nothing wrong with having things, but it's

1644
00:46:51,530 --> 00:46:53,190
much wrong when things have you, and you

1645
00:46:53,190 --> 00:46:54,570
don't want the power of God, and you

1646
00:46:54,570 --> 00:46:55,990
want things, and you want this, and you

1647
00:46:55,990 --> 00:46:57,270
want fame, and you want fortune, and you

1648
00:46:57,270 --> 00:46:59,390
want prestige, and people always got to recognize

1649
00:46:59,390 --> 00:47:00,710
you, people always got to reward you.

1650
00:47:00,970 --> 00:47:03,110
What is your passion in life?

1651
00:47:03,270 --> 00:47:06,130
Do you really want the power of God?

1652
00:47:06,270 --> 00:47:07,090
Now you hear me, and you hear me

1653
00:47:07,090 --> 00:47:08,330
well, and don't you miss the word that

1654
00:47:08,330 --> 00:47:08,890
comes out of my mouth.

1655
00:47:09,110 --> 00:47:11,730
If you want it, you can have it.

1656
00:47:12,610 --> 00:47:13,730
And I give you this lesson, and with

1657
00:47:13,730 --> 00:47:14,790
this we close and we go home.

1658
00:47:14,830 --> 00:47:17,410
I believe the power of God comes through

1659
00:47:17,410 --> 00:47:17,970
perseverance.

1660
00:47:19,630 --> 00:47:21,510
You see, as you keep reading through that

1661
00:47:21,510 --> 00:47:23,670
joy chapter, don't you find out?

1662
00:47:23,730 --> 00:47:24,610
Paul said, I press.

1663
00:47:26,010 --> 00:47:26,990
I'm not a Greek scholar.

1664
00:47:27,650 --> 00:47:28,710
I'm not a Hebrew scholar.

1665
00:47:28,830 --> 00:47:29,690
I do know a little Hebrew.

1666
00:47:29,890 --> 00:47:31,030
He runs a laundromat here in Danville.

1667
00:47:31,090 --> 00:47:32,590
But nonetheless, I don't know how to Hebrew,

1668
00:47:32,770 --> 00:47:33,570
and a lot of Greek.

1669
00:47:33,630 --> 00:47:34,590
To be honest with you, I struggle with

1670
00:47:34,590 --> 00:47:36,310
English, and that doesn't take a very long

1671
00:47:36,310 --> 00:47:37,850
time to figure out what I'm preaching, that's

1672
00:47:37,850 --> 00:47:38,330
for sure.

1673
00:47:39,390 --> 00:47:41,330
But as I study, they tell me that

1674
00:47:41,330 --> 00:47:43,230
the Greek word there for press is the

1675
00:47:43,230 --> 00:47:44,230
word agonizamon.

1676
00:47:44,270 --> 00:47:44,630
You know what I mean?

1677
00:47:44,710 --> 00:47:45,830
It means I agonize.

1678
00:47:46,670 --> 00:47:47,450
I sweat.

1679
00:47:48,190 --> 00:47:49,150
I bleed.

1680
00:47:50,630 --> 00:47:51,590
I frighten.

1681
00:47:51,690 --> 00:47:52,670
He says I lose sleep.

1682
00:47:53,370 --> 00:47:54,370
I lose money.

1683
00:47:55,450 --> 00:47:58,510
I lose all of these frivolous things of

1684
00:47:58,510 --> 00:47:59,490
life for one reason.

1685
00:48:00,270 --> 00:48:01,930
I press for the march, for the prize

1686
00:48:01,930 --> 00:48:03,850
of the high calling of God in Christ

1687
00:48:03,850 --> 00:48:04,150
Jesus.

1688
00:48:04,470 --> 00:48:06,090
And the Bible says, let us therefore as

1689
00:48:06,090 --> 00:48:08,610
many as be perfect, or complete, mature, be

1690
00:48:08,610 --> 00:48:09,350
thus minded.

1691
00:48:09,910 --> 00:48:11,630
And if anything, you be otherwise minded, God

1692
00:48:11,630 --> 00:48:12,670
shall reveal this unto you.

1693
00:48:12,670 --> 00:48:15,050
He said, listen, I have a passion for

1694
00:48:15,050 --> 00:48:16,470
the power of God, but what good is

1695
00:48:16,470 --> 00:48:17,630
that passion going to do me if I

1696
00:48:17,630 --> 00:48:19,510
don't persevere, if I don't live for God

1697
00:48:19,510 --> 00:48:19,890
every day?

1698
00:48:19,910 --> 00:48:21,170
Can I remind you your Bible does not

1699
00:48:21,170 --> 00:48:22,770
say in the book of Proverbs that a

1700
00:48:22,770 --> 00:48:24,690
just man falls twice and gets up again.

1701
00:48:25,710 --> 00:48:26,990
It doesn't say a just man falls four,

1702
00:48:27,070 --> 00:48:29,010
five, or even six times, but it says

1703
00:48:29,010 --> 00:48:30,350
seven, the number of complete.

1704
00:48:31,130 --> 00:48:33,330
He falls seven times, he learns from his

1705
00:48:33,330 --> 00:48:35,130
mistakes, he dusts himself off, and he goes

1706
00:48:35,130 --> 00:48:35,750
on with God.

1707
00:48:35,970 --> 00:48:38,290
He keeps trusting, he keeps living, he keeps

1708
00:48:38,290 --> 00:48:40,530
preaching, he keeps praying, and yes, he falls

1709
00:48:40,530 --> 00:48:41,190
all over himself.

1710
00:48:41,190 --> 00:48:42,410
And Paul said, when I want to do

1711
00:48:42,410 --> 00:48:43,150
right, I do wrong.

1712
00:48:43,210 --> 00:48:44,190
When I don't want to do wrong, I

1713
00:48:44,190 --> 00:48:44,910
still do wrong.

1714
00:48:45,130 --> 00:48:46,430
Who shall deliver me from the body of

1715
00:48:46,430 --> 00:48:46,770
this death?

1716
00:48:46,830 --> 00:48:48,090
Thanks be to God, which gives us the

1717
00:48:48,090 --> 00:48:49,670
victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1718
00:48:49,850 --> 00:48:51,210
The Christian life is a fight.

1719
00:48:51,370 --> 00:48:52,670
The Christian life is a struggle.

1720
00:48:52,910 --> 00:48:54,330
The Christian life is warfare.

1721
00:48:54,690 --> 00:48:56,670
And the power of God is available to

1722
00:48:56,670 --> 00:48:58,910
those who will persevere, who will stay in

1723
00:48:58,910 --> 00:49:00,430
the fight, who will stick with the battle,

1724
00:49:00,650 --> 00:49:03,770
and who will continue until the trumpet sounds.

1725
00:49:03,770 --> 00:49:06,290
And friend, we need some people with some,

1726
00:49:06,290 --> 00:49:08,510
excuse me, stick-to-it-iveness, if you

1727
00:49:08,510 --> 00:49:08,750
will.

1728
00:49:09,490 --> 00:49:10,790
Some folks who stick to it.

1729
00:49:11,430 --> 00:49:13,650
Some folks who don't just kind of drop

1730
00:49:13,650 --> 00:49:15,910
by and just kind of drop in on

1731
00:49:15,910 --> 00:49:17,150
God every now and then when they need

1732
00:49:17,150 --> 00:49:18,610
some problem fixed.

1733
00:49:18,690 --> 00:49:22,630
Not some demon Christians, but some devoted Christians.

1734
00:49:23,750 --> 00:49:25,090
I'd like to read you a little something.

1735
00:49:25,230 --> 00:49:26,610
I'm not real big on reading things when

1736
00:49:26,610 --> 00:49:28,450
I'm preaching, but nonetheless, I'd like to read

1737
00:49:28,450 --> 00:49:29,070
something tonight.

1738
00:49:29,470 --> 00:49:30,870
Matter of fact, I found out that you

1739
00:49:30,870 --> 00:49:32,450
have this on one of your church bulletin

1740
00:49:32,450 --> 00:49:32,730
boards.

1741
00:49:32,730 --> 00:49:34,190
And you can be studious and you can

1742
00:49:34,190 --> 00:49:34,770
find where it is.

1743
00:49:34,870 --> 00:49:35,950
But they gave me this when I was

1744
00:49:35,950 --> 00:49:37,110
in Bible college, and I don't ever want

1745
00:49:37,110 --> 00:49:37,450
to forget it.

1746
00:49:37,490 --> 00:49:39,150
I've tried to memorize it, and it just

1747
00:49:39,150 --> 00:49:40,830
seems like to me there's some things easy

1748
00:49:40,830 --> 00:49:42,170
for me to memorize, but there's other things

1749
00:49:42,170 --> 00:49:42,510
it's not.

1750
00:49:42,570 --> 00:49:43,930
Maybe I've not applied myself very much.

1751
00:49:44,290 --> 00:49:45,430
But I'd like to read this to you.

1752
00:49:45,630 --> 00:49:47,490
It's actually very fitting for the trip that

1753
00:49:47,490 --> 00:49:48,850
I just took, because it was written by

1754
00:49:48,850 --> 00:49:52,270
a young pastor, a native pastor, over in

1755
00:49:52,270 --> 00:49:53,250
the land of Africa.

1756
00:49:53,330 --> 00:49:54,550
Not the very same country I was in,

1757
00:49:54,610 --> 00:49:55,750
but another country, the country of Togo.

1758
00:49:56,310 --> 00:49:58,170
And he wrote this, and I believe it

1759
00:49:58,170 --> 00:49:59,910
sums up everything I've said tonight in a

1760
00:49:59,910 --> 00:50:00,170
nutshell.

1761
00:50:00,350 --> 00:50:01,890
And with this we pray, and we're done.

1762
00:50:01,890 --> 00:50:03,950
So my commitment as a Christian.

1763
00:50:04,210 --> 00:50:05,490
He says, I am a part of a

1764
00:50:05,490 --> 00:50:06,510
fellowship of the unashamed.

1765
00:50:06,990 --> 00:50:08,190
I have Holy Spirit power.

1766
00:50:08,310 --> 00:50:09,310
The die has been cast.

1767
00:50:09,490 --> 00:50:10,730
I have stepped over the line.

1768
00:50:11,050 --> 00:50:12,190
The decision has been made.

1769
00:50:12,290 --> 00:50:13,430
I am a disciple of Christ.

1770
00:50:13,730 --> 00:50:15,370
I will not look back, let up, slow

1771
00:50:15,370 --> 00:50:16,950
down, back away, or be still.

1772
00:50:17,250 --> 00:50:18,470
My past is redeemed.

1773
00:50:18,570 --> 00:50:20,430
My present makes sense, and my future is

1774
00:50:20,430 --> 00:50:20,690
secure.

1775
00:50:21,070 --> 00:50:22,830
I am finished and done with long living,

1776
00:50:23,150 --> 00:50:25,990
sight walking, small planning, smooth means, colorless dreams,

1777
00:50:26,450 --> 00:50:29,270
pain vision, mundane talking, cheap living, and dwarf

1778
00:50:29,270 --> 00:50:29,590
goals.

1779
00:50:29,590 --> 00:50:33,170
I no longer need preeminence, nor prosperity, tradition,

1780
00:50:33,410 --> 00:50:35,150
promotions, products, or popularity.

1781
00:50:35,550 --> 00:50:36,810
I do not have to be right.

1782
00:50:37,010 --> 00:50:39,710
I don't have to be first, top, recognized,

1783
00:50:39,850 --> 00:50:41,590
praised, regarded, or rewarded.

1784
00:50:41,870 --> 00:50:43,630
I now live by faith, lean on his

1785
00:50:43,630 --> 00:50:45,870
presence, walk by his patience, lift up my

1786
00:50:45,870 --> 00:50:47,650
burdens in prayer, and labor by power.

1787
00:50:47,910 --> 00:50:48,810
My faith is set.

1788
00:50:49,030 --> 00:50:50,010
My gate is fast.

1789
00:50:50,090 --> 00:50:50,870
My goal is heaven.

1790
00:50:51,110 --> 00:50:51,890
My road is narrow.

1791
00:50:52,210 --> 00:50:53,070
My way is rough.

1792
00:50:53,150 --> 00:50:55,410
My companions are few, but my guide is

1793
00:50:55,410 --> 00:50:57,390
reliable, and my mission is certainly clear.

1794
00:50:57,390 --> 00:51:00,930
I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away,

1795
00:51:01,050 --> 00:51:02,610
turned back, deluded, or delayed.

1796
00:51:02,910 --> 00:51:04,150
I will not flinch in the face of

1797
00:51:04,150 --> 00:51:07,330
sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate

1798
00:51:07,330 --> 00:51:09,150
at the table of the enemy, ponder at

1799
00:51:09,150 --> 00:51:11,570
the throne of popularity, or meander in the

1800
00:51:11,570 --> 00:51:12,490
maze of mediocrity.

1801
00:51:12,730 --> 00:51:14,230
I will not give up, shut up, let

1802
00:51:14,230 --> 00:51:16,010
up, until I have stayed up, stood up,

1803
00:51:16,070 --> 00:51:17,810
prayed up, and paid up, preached up for

1804
00:51:17,810 --> 00:51:19,470
the cause of Christ, because I am a

1805
00:51:19,470 --> 00:51:20,130
disciple of his.

1806
00:51:20,410 --> 00:51:22,850
I must go till he comes, give till

1807
00:51:22,850 --> 00:51:25,490
I drop, preach till all know, and work

1808
00:51:25,490 --> 00:51:26,450
till he stops me.

1809
00:51:26,450 --> 00:51:28,990
And when he comes for his own, he

1810
00:51:28,990 --> 00:51:31,230
will have no problems recognizing me.

1811
00:51:31,710 --> 00:51:34,610
The color of my banner will be quite

1812
00:51:34,610 --> 00:51:35,050
clear.

1813
00:51:36,430 --> 00:51:38,670
And I'm telling you, ladies and gentlemen, that

1814
00:51:38,670 --> 00:51:41,210
is New Testament Christianity.

1815
00:51:42,850 --> 00:51:46,390
And that's the mindset of a person who

1816
00:51:46,390 --> 00:51:47,390
has the power of God.