1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:02,840 Welcome to From the Pulpit in Classic Sermons. 2 00:00:03,360 --> 00:00:05,040 Each week we bring you a different message 3 00:00:05,040 --> 00:00:07,060 from some of history's greatest speakers and the 4 00:00:07,060 --> 00:00:09,900 Christian faith, and powerful sermons from modern preachers 5 00:00:09,900 --> 00:00:10,160 too. 6 00:00:10,720 --> 00:00:13,000 This week we have Phil McLeod with his 7 00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:14,900 message, Jesus Training the Twelve. 8 00:00:17,300 --> 00:00:20,520 So I want to talk today, in the 9 00:00:20,520 --> 00:00:24,460 power of God, about Jesus and the training 10 00:00:24,460 --> 00:00:25,500 of the twelve. 11 00:00:27,420 --> 00:00:31,159 You know, when God created the world in 12 00:00:31,159 --> 00:00:35,380 Isaiah 45, 18, it says he did not 13 00:00:35,380 --> 00:00:37,420 do this in vain. 14 00:00:38,160 --> 00:00:40,960 He formed it to be inhabited. 15 00:00:42,380 --> 00:00:44,120 And there's no other planet like it in 16 00:00:44,120 --> 00:00:45,140 the whole universe. 17 00:00:45,860 --> 00:00:47,780 The scientists say they're looking for one, they're 18 00:00:47,780 --> 00:00:49,780 positive, they'll find many. 19 00:00:50,260 --> 00:00:54,260 But these powerful telescopes they have, while they 20 00:00:54,260 --> 00:00:57,720 look at thousands of stars and stuff they 21 00:00:57,720 --> 00:01:00,220 couldn't see before, they haven't found one. 22 00:01:00,680 --> 00:01:01,680 And they never will. 23 00:01:03,019 --> 00:01:06,820 Somebody said that the earth is the theater 24 00:01:07,640 --> 00:01:08,880 of the universe. 25 00:01:09,520 --> 00:01:11,060 It's where it's all happening. 26 00:01:11,860 --> 00:01:13,840 It's where Jesus came. 27 00:01:15,040 --> 00:01:17,500 And we must keep this clearly in mind. 28 00:01:19,280 --> 00:01:20,860 Now he had to train people. 29 00:01:21,040 --> 00:01:22,980 He had to, well first of all, he 30 00:01:22,980 --> 00:01:25,360 had to pick twelve men. 31 00:01:26,800 --> 00:01:29,560 And he didn't pick the kind of men 32 00:01:29,560 --> 00:01:34,280 we think he should have, perhaps, I don't 33 00:01:34,280 --> 00:01:44,320 know, fishermen, farmers, tax collectors, nobodies. 34 00:01:45,580 --> 00:01:48,460 There were probably many people he could have 35 00:01:48,460 --> 00:01:53,120 chosen that would have been better in some 36 00:01:53,120 --> 00:01:53,700 ways. 37 00:01:54,840 --> 00:01:56,940 But they were not the kind of people 38 00:01:57,440 --> 00:01:58,300 he wanted. 39 00:01:59,700 --> 00:02:03,160 He hasn't chosen the mighty and the great 40 00:02:03,160 --> 00:02:06,720 or the rich, but the poor and the 41 00:02:06,720 --> 00:02:07,199 lowly. 42 00:02:08,639 --> 00:02:11,260 And obviously he picked the right men. 43 00:02:12,600 --> 00:02:14,220 Then he had to train them. 44 00:02:15,080 --> 00:02:16,500 And he did it in a number of 45 00:02:16,500 --> 00:02:17,180 ways. 46 00:02:18,140 --> 00:02:23,200 I suppose the healing miracles, which they watched 47 00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:27,060 for three years, they must have seen literally 48 00:02:27,060 --> 00:02:30,060 thousands of people healed. 49 00:02:30,200 --> 00:02:35,200 Because wherever Jesus went, there were great crowds 50 00:02:35,200 --> 00:02:37,020 following him. 51 00:02:37,660 --> 00:02:41,520 Because they knew he'd be working miracles and 52 00:02:41,520 --> 00:02:44,180 healing others, and they wanted to see this. 53 00:02:45,600 --> 00:02:47,840 But Jesus rebuked him one day. 54 00:02:48,360 --> 00:02:50,960 He said, you seek me not because you 55 00:02:50,960 --> 00:02:53,980 saw the miracles, but because you ate of 56 00:02:53,980 --> 00:02:55,460 the loaves and were filled. 57 00:02:56,120 --> 00:02:59,240 They didn't have a good motive in following 58 00:02:59,240 --> 00:02:59,920 him around. 59 00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:02,520 But when he reached the village, and word 60 00:03:02,520 --> 00:03:06,420 would spread that Jesus of Nazareth was in 61 00:03:06,420 --> 00:03:09,880 town, all the sick people in the area 62 00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:13,840 were carried by their relatives and friends out 63 00:03:13,840 --> 00:03:16,020 to where Jesus was and laid down at 64 00:03:16,020 --> 00:03:16,680 his feet. 65 00:03:17,490 --> 00:03:18,600 And he healed them. 66 00:03:19,220 --> 00:03:23,960 It mentions every kind of sickness and disease 67 00:03:23,960 --> 00:03:25,860 that was brought to Jesus. 68 00:03:26,020 --> 00:03:26,660 He healed. 69 00:03:27,620 --> 00:03:29,760 And the twelve saw this. 70 00:03:30,460 --> 00:03:32,600 Then at one point he gave them the 71 00:03:32,600 --> 00:03:35,000 power to heal and to cast out demons. 72 00:03:35,400 --> 00:03:39,260 By the way, casting out demons three times 73 00:03:39,260 --> 00:03:41,840 in the New Testament is called healing. 74 00:03:42,940 --> 00:03:46,100 So when he healed them, when he cast 75 00:03:46,100 --> 00:03:49,040 out demons, that was a form of healing 76 00:03:49,040 --> 00:03:49,520 also. 77 00:03:52,100 --> 00:03:57,820 Well, feeding the thousands, stilling storms, walking on 78 00:03:57,820 --> 00:04:03,360 water, casting out demons, feeding thousands. 79 00:04:04,660 --> 00:04:06,980 Did you know that he and the disciples 80 00:04:06,980 --> 00:04:10,100 in a boat on the Sea of Galilee, 81 00:04:11,020 --> 00:04:15,560 about six miles from land, when Jesus came 82 00:04:15,560 --> 00:04:18,440 on board the boat, it moved from where 83 00:04:18,440 --> 00:04:22,040 it was to the shore in a second. 84 00:04:23,240 --> 00:04:24,540 It says immediately. 85 00:04:26,580 --> 00:04:29,360 Now, that's a great miracle to move a 86 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:29,840 boat. 87 00:04:29,980 --> 00:04:32,000 I don't know what the weight would be, 88 00:04:32,760 --> 00:04:35,780 but to move with that distance in a 89 00:04:35,780 --> 00:04:38,940 second was one of the mighty miracles Jesus 90 00:04:38,940 --> 00:04:41,540 did that we don't hear much about. 91 00:04:43,910 --> 00:04:45,850 He was aware of things going on all 92 00:04:45,850 --> 00:04:46,670 around him. 93 00:04:47,590 --> 00:04:49,390 He told the disciples one day, when you 94 00:04:49,390 --> 00:04:51,330 go into the village, you'll meet a man 95 00:04:51,330 --> 00:04:53,390 with a picture on his shoulder. 96 00:04:54,290 --> 00:04:57,850 Follow him into the house, and that's where 97 00:04:57,850 --> 00:04:58,930 you'll make your Passover. 98 00:04:59,930 --> 00:05:01,430 Now, how did he know there was a 99 00:05:01,430 --> 00:05:04,930 man walking down the street with a picture 100 00:05:04,930 --> 00:05:05,850 on his shoulder? 101 00:05:06,410 --> 00:05:08,430 He knew somehow. 102 00:05:09,110 --> 00:05:11,590 He sometimes read people's minds. 103 00:05:12,850 --> 00:05:17,090 When one man began to think certain things, 104 00:05:17,310 --> 00:05:22,170 we're told in John 7 that Jesus answered 105 00:05:22,170 --> 00:05:22,670 him. 106 00:05:24,110 --> 00:05:26,130 Well, he hadn't said anything. 107 00:05:27,230 --> 00:05:29,450 How did Jesus answer him? 108 00:05:30,750 --> 00:05:32,430 Because he read his mind. 109 00:05:32,550 --> 00:05:35,750 He knew he was able to do that. 110 00:05:36,330 --> 00:05:39,890 He was different from us in many ways. 111 00:05:40,770 --> 00:05:42,330 Then he raised the dead. 112 00:05:43,810 --> 00:05:46,570 Lazarus, a widow named Son, but there are 113 00:05:46,570 --> 00:05:50,050 others besides, because when the men came from 114 00:05:50,050 --> 00:05:53,430 John the Baptist, wondering if Jesus was really 115 00:05:53,430 --> 00:05:56,850 the one they were looking for, they were 116 00:05:56,850 --> 00:05:59,390 told to go back and tell him that 117 00:05:59,390 --> 00:06:01,930 he was healing the sick, he was raising 118 00:06:01,930 --> 00:06:02,650 the dead. 119 00:06:03,330 --> 00:06:06,630 So there were probably numbers of people raised 120 00:06:06,630 --> 00:06:08,450 from the dead through his training. 121 00:06:09,370 --> 00:06:12,690 So part of the training was healing people, 122 00:06:13,310 --> 00:06:18,490 helping others, using your power to relieve other 123 00:06:18,490 --> 00:06:19,950 people's sufferings. 124 00:06:20,510 --> 00:06:22,330 This was all part of the training. 125 00:06:23,950 --> 00:06:28,110 Then there was his teaching, which was, in 126 00:06:28,110 --> 00:06:29,990 some cases, amazing. 127 00:06:30,810 --> 00:06:33,650 For example, he taught that if you loan 128 00:06:33,650 --> 00:06:36,930 somebody some money, don't expect to get anything 129 00:06:36,930 --> 00:06:37,550 back. 130 00:06:38,810 --> 00:06:40,510 Do we operate that way? 131 00:06:41,130 --> 00:06:41,830 Not really. 132 00:06:43,790 --> 00:06:46,950 We'd like to get back what we loaned, 133 00:06:47,010 --> 00:06:50,550 at least, and maybe a little more, if 134 00:06:50,550 --> 00:06:51,070 possible. 135 00:06:51,790 --> 00:06:53,010 But that's what he said. 136 00:06:54,390 --> 00:06:56,350 Then he said, you know, in those days, 137 00:06:56,750 --> 00:07:00,130 a Roman soldier walking down the highway, he 138 00:07:00,130 --> 00:07:03,530 could call on any person he saw and 139 00:07:03,530 --> 00:07:05,770 ask them to walk a mile with him 140 00:07:05,770 --> 00:07:07,030 and carry his pack. 141 00:07:07,590 --> 00:07:09,070 And they had to do that. 142 00:07:10,110 --> 00:07:13,010 So Jesus said, if you're asked to carry 143 00:07:13,010 --> 00:07:16,310 a pack for a mile, carry it two 144 00:07:16,310 --> 00:07:16,830 miles. 145 00:07:17,890 --> 00:07:19,110 Does that sound right? 146 00:07:19,730 --> 00:07:22,270 It's certainly different, but it was right. 147 00:07:22,690 --> 00:07:24,770 That's one of the things he said. 148 00:07:25,390 --> 00:07:27,570 So if they smite you on one cheek, 149 00:07:28,090 --> 00:07:29,510 you'd offer them the other. 150 00:07:30,150 --> 00:07:32,050 You're not to run away and be mad. 151 00:07:32,590 --> 00:07:33,990 You offer the other cheek. 152 00:07:35,230 --> 00:07:37,550 And then he told them to rejoice when 153 00:07:37,550 --> 00:07:38,410 you're persecuted. 154 00:07:39,610 --> 00:07:41,850 Leap for joy, he said, in one place. 155 00:07:42,650 --> 00:07:45,510 Leap for joy when people are maybe throwing 156 00:07:45,510 --> 00:07:46,670 stones at me? 157 00:07:47,670 --> 00:07:49,430 Well, you know, Wesleyan and Whitfield had a 158 00:07:49,430 --> 00:07:50,090 lot of that. 159 00:07:50,710 --> 00:07:53,630 Not only stones, but rotten eggs and dead 160 00:07:53,630 --> 00:07:56,370 cats and stuff were thrown at them while 161 00:07:56,370 --> 00:07:57,130 they were preaching. 162 00:07:57,130 --> 00:07:59,730 They just wiped off the blood and kept 163 00:07:59,730 --> 00:08:00,390 on going. 164 00:08:01,010 --> 00:08:02,690 They knew what Jesus had said. 165 00:08:03,510 --> 00:08:06,730 So we're to rejoice when we are persecuted. 166 00:08:07,930 --> 00:08:12,490 Then he told his disciples, you're light and 167 00:08:12,490 --> 00:08:13,330 you're salt. 168 00:08:14,510 --> 00:08:16,330 You're to be both the light of the 169 00:08:16,330 --> 00:08:16,710 world. 170 00:08:16,990 --> 00:08:19,150 As long as I'm in the world, I'm 171 00:08:19,150 --> 00:08:20,010 the light of the world. 172 00:08:20,370 --> 00:08:21,850 But he said to them, you are the 173 00:08:21,850 --> 00:08:22,490 light of the world. 174 00:08:22,710 --> 00:08:24,150 He was going back to heaven. 175 00:08:24,150 --> 00:08:27,830 And he left 12 lights burning. 176 00:08:30,200 --> 00:08:32,960 Now, these are things that Jesus had taught 177 00:08:32,960 --> 00:08:33,320 them. 178 00:08:34,059 --> 00:08:37,400 He said when you're fasting or when you're 179 00:08:37,400 --> 00:08:41,140 giving, you do it very secretly. 180 00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:43,700 You're not to parade it. 181 00:08:44,620 --> 00:08:46,620 You're not to want to have people watch 182 00:08:46,620 --> 00:08:48,520 what you do so you can brag over 183 00:08:48,520 --> 00:08:48,920 it. 184 00:08:49,120 --> 00:08:51,000 You're not to do that or be that. 185 00:08:52,220 --> 00:08:53,840 You're to do it very secretly. 186 00:08:54,200 --> 00:08:57,340 And your father in heaven, your father who 187 00:08:57,340 --> 00:09:01,960 sees you in secret will reward you openly. 188 00:09:04,740 --> 00:09:05,900 So there are things right. 189 00:09:06,040 --> 00:09:08,040 Well, he told them to build on rock, 190 00:09:08,160 --> 00:09:09,140 not on sand. 191 00:09:09,780 --> 00:09:10,900 I mean, he gave them a lot of 192 00:09:10,900 --> 00:09:14,580 good practical thoughts to work on as well. 193 00:09:15,200 --> 00:09:16,260 It was a great help. 194 00:09:16,420 --> 00:09:17,960 And it's a help to us, of course, 195 00:09:18,280 --> 00:09:19,440 or should be today. 196 00:09:21,000 --> 00:09:25,320 Then they found out very quickly that if 197 00:09:25,320 --> 00:09:27,660 you're going to preach, you've got to preach 198 00:09:27,660 --> 00:09:27,950 repentance. 199 00:09:29,460 --> 00:09:31,280 John the Baptist began it. 200 00:09:31,860 --> 00:09:35,340 Jesus in Mark 1, when he began to 201 00:09:35,340 --> 00:09:36,780 preach, he said, repent. 202 00:09:38,020 --> 00:09:39,100 I believe the gospel. 203 00:09:40,640 --> 00:09:42,720 And then the disciples, when they were sent 204 00:09:42,720 --> 00:09:45,500 out in the gospel of Mark, it says 205 00:09:45,500 --> 00:09:48,260 they preached that men should repent. 206 00:09:48,980 --> 00:09:51,540 I'm sure that wasn't all they said, but 207 00:09:51,540 --> 00:09:55,640 the writers wanted us to understand this was 208 00:09:55,640 --> 00:09:57,920 a major part of their preaching. 209 00:09:58,580 --> 00:10:00,660 Everything else was based on this. 210 00:10:01,000 --> 00:10:03,460 It's not going to help you unless you 211 00:10:03,460 --> 00:10:06,460 have repented of your sin and turned with 212 00:10:06,460 --> 00:10:07,920 your whole heart unto God. 213 00:10:09,280 --> 00:10:13,120 So they learned many things through his miracles, 214 00:10:13,960 --> 00:10:17,080 the healing miracles and the other miracles. 215 00:10:19,760 --> 00:10:23,500 And then they learned just being ready with 216 00:10:23,500 --> 00:10:29,560 him day by day, watching him, hearing him, 217 00:10:30,240 --> 00:10:31,580 asking him questions. 218 00:10:32,360 --> 00:10:34,820 I'm sure that all of the apostles apart 219 00:10:34,820 --> 00:10:39,460 from Judas at times would have serious internal 220 00:10:39,460 --> 00:10:42,600 questions that they would bring to Jesus and 221 00:10:42,600 --> 00:10:43,660 have them answered. 222 00:10:44,740 --> 00:10:47,420 That was something else, part of the training. 223 00:10:48,660 --> 00:10:51,640 Then we notice another thing he did, which 224 00:10:51,640 --> 00:10:54,220 is very unpopular today with preachers. 225 00:10:54,800 --> 00:11:00,620 He strongly publicly condemned those who were teaching 226 00:11:00,620 --> 00:11:01,720 false doctrine. 227 00:11:02,720 --> 00:11:04,960 Now we've been told and taught you can't 228 00:11:04,960 --> 00:11:08,000 do that because you'd be guilty of hurting 229 00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:09,700 somebody's feelings. 230 00:11:11,340 --> 00:11:16,000 But read Matthew 23 and others, not Christians 231 00:11:16,000 --> 00:11:18,620 who read this, say this was not right. 232 00:11:18,980 --> 00:11:21,580 He should never have said those things about 233 00:11:21,580 --> 00:11:24,380 the Pharisees and the Sadducees. 234 00:11:25,740 --> 00:11:27,740 But he did it and they heard it 235 00:11:27,740 --> 00:11:30,240 and they knew it had to be part 236 00:11:30,240 --> 00:11:31,920 of their ministry too. 237 00:11:33,560 --> 00:11:38,460 Wesley and Whitefield, those two great preachers, if 238 00:11:38,460 --> 00:11:42,480 they saw an unconverted preacher in the audience 239 00:11:42,480 --> 00:11:44,660 and they knew his name, they'd call out 240 00:11:44,660 --> 00:11:47,540 his name and rebuke him publicly for not 241 00:11:47,540 --> 00:11:48,460 preaching the gospel. 242 00:11:50,100 --> 00:11:52,400 And both Whitefield did that a lot more 243 00:11:52,400 --> 00:11:54,180 even than Wesley, but both of them did 244 00:11:54,180 --> 00:11:54,360 it. 245 00:11:55,070 --> 00:11:59,820 And they felt constrained to publicly rebuke men 246 00:11:59,820 --> 00:12:01,700 who are not preaching the truth. 247 00:12:02,320 --> 00:12:04,000 And the minute they found out they did 248 00:12:04,000 --> 00:12:05,020 something about it. 249 00:12:05,260 --> 00:12:06,880 Nobody's doing that today. 250 00:12:07,760 --> 00:12:09,920 You don't want to hurt anybody's feelings. 251 00:12:11,080 --> 00:12:14,520 Did it never occur to the authorities that 252 00:12:14,520 --> 00:12:17,060 when they preach false doctrine they're hurting my 253 00:12:17,060 --> 00:12:17,700 feelings? 254 00:12:18,120 --> 00:12:19,820 Don't my feelings count too? 255 00:12:20,160 --> 00:12:21,060 Of course they do. 256 00:12:21,900 --> 00:12:25,640 And so we should be publicly rebuking where 257 00:12:25,640 --> 00:12:28,640 we can, where we have the facts, not 258 00:12:28,640 --> 00:12:29,920 be guessing but sure. 259 00:12:30,800 --> 00:12:32,540 Part of their training. 260 00:12:34,420 --> 00:12:37,660 But you know, after those three years of 261 00:12:37,660 --> 00:12:41,780 watching Jesus night and day, they were still 262 00:12:41,780 --> 00:12:42,340 not ready. 263 00:12:42,420 --> 00:12:44,880 You'd think, well man, the training they've had 264 00:12:44,880 --> 00:12:45,820 is amazing. 265 00:12:46,540 --> 00:12:48,840 Nobody else in the history of the world 266 00:12:48,840 --> 00:12:52,540 has ever had this kind of training that 267 00:12:52,540 --> 00:12:53,260 they have. 268 00:12:54,580 --> 00:12:56,240 But he told them not to go. 269 00:12:56,340 --> 00:12:57,400 He didn't send them out. 270 00:12:57,800 --> 00:12:59,120 He sent them out on little journeys. 271 00:13:00,220 --> 00:13:01,720 But it was not the big thing that 272 00:13:01,720 --> 00:13:03,280 happened after Pentecost. 273 00:13:04,620 --> 00:13:06,100 So they were not ready. 274 00:13:06,280 --> 00:13:07,340 He knew that. 275 00:13:07,900 --> 00:13:09,280 They didn't know it probably. 276 00:13:09,900 --> 00:13:11,720 They probably thought they were ready to go. 277 00:13:12,500 --> 00:13:13,940 But he wouldn't let them go. 278 00:13:15,140 --> 00:13:18,920 Now in John 20, 22, after his resurrection, 279 00:13:19,880 --> 00:13:23,180 he breathed on them and said, receive ye 280 00:13:23,180 --> 00:13:24,260 the Holy Ghost. 281 00:13:26,100 --> 00:13:29,580 Now this puzzles some Bible scholars. 282 00:13:29,720 --> 00:13:32,880 They don't understand what happened there because that 283 00:13:32,880 --> 00:13:34,960 was quite a bit before Pentecost. 284 00:13:35,780 --> 00:13:39,500 I think perhaps what happened then, we might 285 00:13:39,500 --> 00:13:42,200 say they received the indwelling spirit. 286 00:13:42,900 --> 00:13:46,020 Not the baptism of the spirit, but the 287 00:13:46,020 --> 00:13:47,340 indwelling of the spirit. 288 00:13:47,820 --> 00:13:50,700 And others agree with that idea as well. 289 00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:54,420 But that still did not make them ready 290 00:13:54,420 --> 00:13:57,980 because he did not send them then. 291 00:13:59,660 --> 00:14:02,320 We have to remember that when Jesus came, 292 00:14:03,620 --> 00:14:07,160 well Isaiah, for example, said that darkness would 293 00:14:07,160 --> 00:14:10,900 cover the earth and gross darkness would cover 294 00:14:10,900 --> 00:14:11,440 the people. 295 00:14:11,840 --> 00:14:14,720 The gross darkness he was talking about was 296 00:14:14,720 --> 00:14:16,520 the darkness that was on Israel. 297 00:14:17,240 --> 00:14:19,060 Because if the light is in you, his 298 00:14:19,060 --> 00:14:21,680 darkness, how great is that darkness? 299 00:14:22,340 --> 00:14:23,480 They thought they had it. 300 00:14:23,540 --> 00:14:24,260 They didn't have it. 301 00:14:24,280 --> 00:14:25,120 They'd lost it. 302 00:14:25,380 --> 00:14:26,460 It wasn't there. 303 00:14:26,860 --> 00:14:28,920 They were operating as if they had it, 304 00:14:28,980 --> 00:14:30,400 but they never really had it. 305 00:14:31,220 --> 00:14:33,660 And so he rebuked him the way that 306 00:14:33,660 --> 00:14:34,240 he did. 307 00:14:36,220 --> 00:14:38,100 And then gross darkness, yes. 308 00:14:38,580 --> 00:14:42,700 There's a verse in Ephesians 6 that's a 309 00:14:42,700 --> 00:14:44,560 very shocking verse to me. 310 00:14:45,120 --> 00:14:49,500 It speaks about our enemies, Satan and the 311 00:14:49,500 --> 00:14:52,340 hosts that follow him, the fallen angels. 312 00:14:53,860 --> 00:14:57,220 And they're called the rulers of the darkness 313 00:14:57,220 --> 00:14:59,480 of this world. 314 00:15:00,640 --> 00:15:05,500 Don't be wondering why it's so dark spiritually 315 00:15:05,500 --> 00:15:06,680 out there. 316 00:15:07,600 --> 00:15:10,240 There are people keeping it dark. 317 00:15:11,040 --> 00:15:15,140 They're the rulers of the darkness of this 318 00:15:15,140 --> 00:15:15,540 age. 319 00:15:16,460 --> 00:15:20,380 That's why Isaiah called it gross darkness. 320 00:15:21,240 --> 00:15:22,100 It is. 321 00:15:22,460 --> 00:15:25,780 They're leading people in thousands of wicked ways, 322 00:15:25,920 --> 00:15:30,680 evil ways, and sometimes in religious ways that 323 00:15:30,680 --> 00:15:32,360 are just as evil as the other. 324 00:15:33,680 --> 00:15:36,240 And so they are our enemies. 325 00:15:37,360 --> 00:15:39,160 And if they're the rulers of the darkness 326 00:15:39,160 --> 00:15:43,360 and you're a light for God, watch out. 327 00:15:43,620 --> 00:15:44,840 They won't like you. 328 00:15:45,300 --> 00:15:48,520 Things will happen sometimes that you can't explain. 329 00:15:49,980 --> 00:15:51,040 But don't be alarmed. 330 00:15:51,180 --> 00:15:52,160 God is with us. 331 00:15:52,720 --> 00:15:54,640 He's given us all the wisdom we need 332 00:15:54,640 --> 00:15:55,240 to have. 333 00:15:55,800 --> 00:15:58,700 And if you happen to lack wisdom, in 334 00:15:58,700 --> 00:16:01,500 James it says if you lack wisdom, ask 335 00:16:01,500 --> 00:16:02,220 of God. 336 00:16:02,360 --> 00:16:06,920 That gives to all men liberally, greatly he 337 00:16:06,920 --> 00:16:07,260 means. 338 00:16:08,360 --> 00:16:10,180 But he said let him ask in faith, 339 00:16:10,740 --> 00:16:12,080 nothing wavering. 340 00:16:13,320 --> 00:16:15,620 Because if you waver, you'll be like a 341 00:16:15,620 --> 00:16:17,440 wave of the sea, wind and toss. 342 00:16:18,600 --> 00:16:21,200 You have to believe when you pray and 343 00:16:21,200 --> 00:16:23,300 ask for wisdom from God. 344 00:16:23,660 --> 00:16:25,920 You may pray and then walk away and 345 00:16:25,920 --> 00:16:27,900 say, I wonder if he did anything. 346 00:16:28,220 --> 00:16:29,360 Oh forget about it. 347 00:16:29,560 --> 00:16:30,480 He didn't do anything. 348 00:16:30,620 --> 00:16:33,060 He couldn't because you never believe. 349 00:16:34,520 --> 00:16:37,300 So whatever situation you happen to be in, 350 00:16:38,740 --> 00:16:43,000 believe God when you're asking for some help, 351 00:16:43,400 --> 00:16:46,800 for guidance, or power, or whatever. 352 00:16:47,580 --> 00:16:47,960 Believe. 353 00:16:49,860 --> 00:16:50,480 All right. 354 00:16:50,620 --> 00:16:51,360 Gross darkness. 355 00:16:52,520 --> 00:16:54,460 The rulers of the darkness. 356 00:16:55,780 --> 00:16:58,340 Well, that'll be all over when Jesus returns. 357 00:16:59,340 --> 00:17:01,660 And the hosts that serve him will be 358 00:17:01,660 --> 00:17:02,960 thrown into the fire. 359 00:17:03,220 --> 00:17:05,619 And the devil himself will end up in 360 00:17:05,619 --> 00:17:08,240 that lake of fire by the grace and 361 00:17:08,240 --> 00:17:09,700 power of our God. 362 00:17:11,220 --> 00:17:15,000 But then one day something happened and is 363 00:17:15,000 --> 00:17:16,800 put this way in Acts. 364 00:17:17,319 --> 00:17:20,280 That Jesus Christ, he's at the right hand 365 00:17:20,280 --> 00:17:20,960 of God. 366 00:17:21,720 --> 00:17:25,740 And having received of the Father the promise 367 00:17:25,740 --> 00:17:28,920 of the Holy Spirit, he has shed forth 368 00:17:28,920 --> 00:17:31,620 this, which you now see in here. 369 00:17:32,820 --> 00:17:36,980 So Pentecost was something that Jesus did. 370 00:17:38,220 --> 00:17:40,260 He was the one that authored that. 371 00:17:41,260 --> 00:17:44,460 Remember it says now, he received the promise 372 00:17:44,460 --> 00:17:48,100 of the Father, the Holy Spirit, Jesus did. 373 00:17:48,800 --> 00:17:52,880 And having received this promise, then he shed 374 00:17:52,880 --> 00:17:56,920 forth the Holy Spirit on the 12th. 375 00:17:58,080 --> 00:17:59,500 That's how it happened. 376 00:18:00,640 --> 00:18:02,460 Christ did it. 377 00:18:03,240 --> 00:18:06,080 He sent the Spirit in power. 378 00:18:06,960 --> 00:18:09,440 There have been many, you know, in Christian 379 00:18:09,440 --> 00:18:12,620 work down through the years that have experienced 380 00:18:12,620 --> 00:18:15,960 this kind of a baptism that he experienced 381 00:18:15,960 --> 00:18:17,300 on the day of Pentecost. 382 00:18:17,980 --> 00:18:20,920 You know, in one day after they were 383 00:18:20,920 --> 00:18:24,100 baptized in the Spirit, 3,000 Jews were 384 00:18:24,100 --> 00:18:24,540 converted. 385 00:18:25,340 --> 00:18:26,060 Think of it. 386 00:18:26,660 --> 00:18:28,440 In one day, 3,000. 387 00:18:29,100 --> 00:18:31,880 More were converted in one day than had 388 00:18:31,880 --> 00:18:34,680 been converted in the three years when they 389 00:18:34,680 --> 00:18:36,320 were traveling around and preaching. 390 00:18:37,560 --> 00:18:40,020 And then later, a week or two later, 391 00:18:40,420 --> 00:18:44,220 Peter preached and 5,000 were converted at 392 00:18:44,220 --> 00:18:45,300 the end of his sermon. 393 00:18:46,640 --> 00:18:48,660 Nothing like that had happened before. 394 00:18:50,000 --> 00:18:51,440 There were happy men like Dwight L. 395 00:18:51,580 --> 00:18:53,240 Moody in Chicago. 396 00:18:53,740 --> 00:18:56,380 He had a large Sunday school, but he 397 00:18:56,380 --> 00:18:58,440 wasn't getting anywhere like in preaching. 398 00:18:58,980 --> 00:19:00,100 He wasn't really a preacher. 399 00:19:00,860 --> 00:19:03,840 He got very few invitations to preach. 400 00:19:04,200 --> 00:19:07,320 He did some preaching, but nothing seemed to 401 00:19:07,320 --> 00:19:07,760 happen. 402 00:19:08,740 --> 00:19:12,240 And he spent six months crying to God 403 00:19:12,240 --> 00:19:13,920 for the power of the Spirit in his 404 00:19:13,920 --> 00:19:14,400 life. 405 00:19:15,360 --> 00:19:17,000 And it happened one day while I was 406 00:19:17,000 --> 00:19:18,940 walking down the street in Chicago. 407 00:19:19,780 --> 00:19:22,040 He suddenly felt the power of God and 408 00:19:22,040 --> 00:19:24,760 he ran to a friend's house and asked 409 00:19:24,760 --> 00:19:26,960 for a room where he could be alone 410 00:19:26,960 --> 00:19:28,440 for a couple of days. 411 00:19:29,520 --> 00:19:32,900 And he found a place and went in 412 00:19:32,900 --> 00:19:36,720 and he spent hours just talking to God 413 00:19:36,720 --> 00:19:39,560 and was filled mightily with the Holy Spirit. 414 00:19:40,360 --> 00:19:42,180 Now when he went out of there, he 415 00:19:42,180 --> 00:19:45,540 began to preach the same sermons he said 416 00:19:45,540 --> 00:19:47,160 that he preached before. 417 00:19:48,100 --> 00:19:50,640 But before when he preached, nothing happened. 418 00:19:51,520 --> 00:19:54,360 Now when he preached, hundreds were being converted, 419 00:19:54,800 --> 00:19:56,680 and in some cases thousands. 420 00:19:58,280 --> 00:20:01,900 Now Charles Finney, a lawyer, converted suddenly. 421 00:20:03,440 --> 00:20:07,480 He received this baptism of the Spirit, whatever 422 00:20:07,480 --> 00:20:10,260 you want to call it, an imbuement of 423 00:20:10,260 --> 00:20:12,040 God's Spirit and power. 424 00:20:12,560 --> 00:20:15,760 And everybody he talked to the following day 425 00:20:15,760 --> 00:20:16,880 was converted. 426 00:20:17,540 --> 00:20:18,000 Everybody. 427 00:20:18,360 --> 00:20:20,920 He walked around the village talking to different 428 00:20:20,920 --> 00:20:21,340 people. 429 00:20:21,780 --> 00:20:23,220 Everybody found Christ. 430 00:20:23,860 --> 00:20:26,780 And he had that great power and was 431 00:20:26,780 --> 00:20:28,020 probably used of God. 432 00:20:28,660 --> 00:20:30,140 And two and a half a million people 433 00:20:30,140 --> 00:20:32,880 to Christ back when the population in the 434 00:20:32,880 --> 00:20:34,800 States was much smaller. 435 00:20:36,300 --> 00:20:40,440 Torrey, a helper of Moody's, had the same 436 00:20:40,440 --> 00:20:41,440 experience. 437 00:20:41,960 --> 00:20:46,420 J.B. Earl, a great evangelist, so fruitless 438 00:20:46,420 --> 00:20:47,440 in his ministry. 439 00:20:48,200 --> 00:20:50,900 And he got serious about it and spent 440 00:20:50,900 --> 00:20:52,340 one night with God. 441 00:20:52,980 --> 00:20:54,860 And he was trying to find out who 442 00:20:54,860 --> 00:20:55,520 to blame. 443 00:20:56,440 --> 00:20:58,740 And God said, well, I'm blaming you. 444 00:20:59,760 --> 00:21:00,680 You're the fault. 445 00:21:00,940 --> 00:21:02,040 You're your own trouble. 446 00:21:02,940 --> 00:21:04,260 You have to deal with it. 447 00:21:05,000 --> 00:21:06,860 And J.B. Earl says he did. 448 00:21:07,320 --> 00:21:10,620 He honestly just let God search his heart, 449 00:21:10,980 --> 00:21:14,240 show him every sin, make restitution and everything 450 00:21:14,240 --> 00:21:14,680 else. 451 00:21:14,980 --> 00:21:16,440 He was ready for it all. 452 00:21:17,160 --> 00:21:18,800 And he said at two o'clock in 453 00:21:18,800 --> 00:21:21,340 the morning, he was filled with the love 454 00:21:21,340 --> 00:21:22,980 of God by the Holy Spirit. 455 00:21:23,800 --> 00:21:26,380 And before he died, there were 200,000 456 00:21:26,380 --> 00:21:29,440 people found Christ as their personal savior. 457 00:21:30,520 --> 00:21:33,860 Before this happened that night in that room, 458 00:21:35,200 --> 00:21:38,340 he preached 10 times in a crusade. 459 00:21:38,480 --> 00:21:39,800 Not one soul was saved. 460 00:21:41,440 --> 00:21:43,160 But that changed drastically. 461 00:21:44,460 --> 00:21:47,740 And they called it a personal Pentecost. 462 00:21:48,680 --> 00:21:51,620 We have to be very careful here as 463 00:21:51,620 --> 00:21:54,480 to what we're thinking about, because it's not 464 00:21:54,480 --> 00:21:58,180 something that comes easily, nor to everyone. 465 00:21:59,020 --> 00:22:02,460 But if we're serious about our Christian life 466 00:22:02,460 --> 00:22:05,780 and want to account for God and be 467 00:22:05,780 --> 00:22:10,620 something useful to God and his kingdom, if 468 00:22:10,620 --> 00:22:13,800 we want to glorify God, we have a 469 00:22:13,800 --> 00:22:15,640 right to go to God in prayer. 470 00:22:16,280 --> 00:22:19,620 Now, we have some godly examples like Jacob 471 00:22:19,620 --> 00:22:21,140 in Genesis 32. 472 00:22:21,960 --> 00:22:24,800 Remember, he had wronged his brother Esau. 473 00:22:25,240 --> 00:22:27,580 And Esau was coming to meet him and 474 00:22:27,580 --> 00:22:29,200 had 400 men with him. 475 00:22:29,400 --> 00:22:31,940 And Jacob knew his brother intended to kill 476 00:22:31,940 --> 00:22:32,280 him. 477 00:22:32,820 --> 00:22:35,120 That's why he had 400 men with him. 478 00:22:35,880 --> 00:22:37,980 So he had to get this thing straightened 479 00:22:37,980 --> 00:22:38,260 out. 480 00:22:38,860 --> 00:22:41,700 He tried three or four plans, and none 481 00:22:41,700 --> 00:22:42,540 of them worked. 482 00:22:42,980 --> 00:22:45,640 There's a little phrase there, it says, and 483 00:22:45,640 --> 00:22:47,240 Jacob was left alone. 484 00:22:48,580 --> 00:22:50,240 It's good to be left alone. 485 00:22:50,340 --> 00:22:51,900 You have no more plans. 486 00:22:53,500 --> 00:22:55,540 You got nothing left but God. 487 00:22:56,780 --> 00:22:58,480 And that's what happened to him. 488 00:22:59,600 --> 00:23:01,720 And he began wrestling with this angel. 489 00:23:02,520 --> 00:23:03,920 And when the sun came up in the 490 00:23:03,920 --> 00:23:07,260 morning, the angel said, let me go, for 491 00:23:07,260 --> 00:23:08,800 the sun of the day is breaking. 492 00:23:09,780 --> 00:23:11,480 And he said, I will not let you 493 00:23:11,480 --> 00:23:14,060 go unless you bless me. 494 00:23:14,980 --> 00:23:17,120 And that's when he was touched by the 495 00:23:17,120 --> 00:23:21,300 angel, and his name was changed from supplanter 496 00:23:21,300 --> 00:23:23,280 to Jacob. 497 00:23:25,100 --> 00:23:30,200 And his ministry, his whole ministry became powerful, 498 00:23:30,740 --> 00:23:32,840 much different than it had been before. 499 00:23:33,340 --> 00:23:36,360 And when Esau met him the following day, 500 00:23:37,220 --> 00:23:40,180 Esau ran to him, fell on his neck 501 00:23:40,180 --> 00:23:42,760 and kissed him, and they rejoiced together. 502 00:23:43,780 --> 00:23:45,920 And this happened because he persevered. 503 00:23:46,340 --> 00:23:48,920 Now in Hosea, there's a verse that refers 504 00:23:48,920 --> 00:23:51,900 to that and gives us some insight. 505 00:23:53,240 --> 00:23:57,060 It says, therefore, after describing what happened to 506 00:23:57,060 --> 00:24:01,900 Jacob, he says, therefore, wait on your God 507 00:24:01,900 --> 00:24:02,600 continually. 508 00:24:03,860 --> 00:24:05,660 He's saying, do the same thing. 509 00:24:06,180 --> 00:24:07,020 Copy Jacob. 510 00:24:08,300 --> 00:24:09,600 He didn't give up. 511 00:24:10,100 --> 00:24:11,680 He didn't pray a pretty little prayer. 512 00:24:12,600 --> 00:24:13,640 He saw God. 513 00:24:14,200 --> 00:24:15,520 He got to the point he was willing 514 00:24:15,520 --> 00:24:16,440 to die even. 515 00:24:17,040 --> 00:24:19,540 I've heard of men getting to that point 516 00:24:19,540 --> 00:24:22,160 where they tell God, give me power or 517 00:24:22,160 --> 00:24:22,900 I'll die. 518 00:24:23,620 --> 00:24:26,640 You know what John Knox prayed, that great 519 00:24:26,640 --> 00:24:27,400 Scottish preacher? 520 00:24:27,880 --> 00:24:29,580 He said, give me Scotland. 521 00:24:30,180 --> 00:24:33,240 He prayed, give me Scotland or I'll die. 522 00:24:34,320 --> 00:24:35,860 And God gave him Scotland. 523 00:24:36,980 --> 00:24:38,920 He was a great, great preacher. 524 00:24:39,900 --> 00:24:42,340 And wicked people were very much afraid of 525 00:24:42,340 --> 00:24:44,800 him because of the power and the ministry 526 00:24:44,800 --> 00:24:45,540 he had. 527 00:24:46,740 --> 00:24:48,300 So there has to be humility. 528 00:24:49,260 --> 00:24:50,820 There has to be perseverance. 529 00:24:51,380 --> 00:24:53,720 That's mentioned in Ephesians 6, 18. 530 00:24:54,400 --> 00:24:57,840 With all perseverance, it says, hanging in there, 531 00:24:58,260 --> 00:25:01,520 believing God, trusting God, crying to God for 532 00:25:01,520 --> 00:25:04,560 power so that we don't just sit around 533 00:25:04,560 --> 00:25:07,780 being a nice Christian and having our picture 534 00:25:07,780 --> 00:25:08,900 taken, whatnot. 535 00:25:09,640 --> 00:25:10,740 That's not it. 536 00:25:11,940 --> 00:25:13,720 It's standing up and being counted. 537 00:25:14,560 --> 00:25:16,780 It's sharing Christ in difficult places. 538 00:25:17,500 --> 00:25:20,340 It's doing things with our money that others 539 00:25:20,340 --> 00:25:22,660 would think that were really crazy if they 540 00:25:22,660 --> 00:25:22,980 knew. 541 00:25:24,220 --> 00:25:25,620 One of the men in my church in 542 00:25:25,620 --> 00:25:29,940 Transcona years ago, his brothers, there were three 543 00:25:29,940 --> 00:25:31,420 of them, they were potato farmers. 544 00:25:32,320 --> 00:25:33,720 And he became a Christian. 545 00:25:34,480 --> 00:25:35,500 His brothers didn't. 546 00:25:36,560 --> 00:25:39,580 And then one day, he was a heavy 547 00:25:39,580 --> 00:25:42,400 giver, you know, and he had the receipt 548 00:25:42,400 --> 00:25:44,820 from the church in his Bible, and one 549 00:25:44,820 --> 00:25:46,280 of his brothers found it. 550 00:25:47,160 --> 00:25:48,940 And they gave him an awful time. 551 00:25:49,500 --> 00:25:51,820 They yacked at him for days on end, 552 00:25:51,880 --> 00:25:54,820 you crazy fool, giving all this money away. 553 00:25:54,860 --> 00:25:55,700 What are you doing? 554 00:25:56,320 --> 00:25:58,700 Are you going crazy or something, you know? 555 00:25:59,520 --> 00:26:02,420 Well, he didn't, he didn't quit giving. 556 00:26:02,900 --> 00:26:04,600 He just made sure they never saw a 557 00:26:04,600 --> 00:26:05,280 receipt again. 558 00:26:05,800 --> 00:26:06,940 That was a little easier. 559 00:26:07,820 --> 00:26:09,700 But he was changed dramatically. 560 00:26:10,140 --> 00:26:12,260 His brothers couldn't understand it, and I don't 561 00:26:12,260 --> 00:26:15,500 know, but as far as I've heard, his 562 00:26:15,500 --> 00:26:17,960 brothers never did become believers in Christ. 563 00:26:18,920 --> 00:26:22,040 I don't, I can't say that definitely, but 564 00:26:22,040 --> 00:26:23,480 I believe that's how it was, so I 565 00:26:23,480 --> 00:26:24,080 was told. 566 00:26:25,820 --> 00:26:31,260 All right, humility and honesty with God and 567 00:26:31,260 --> 00:26:34,480 with others, and then persevere. 568 00:26:35,740 --> 00:26:39,080 And remember, whatever it is you're seeking, it 569 00:26:39,080 --> 00:26:41,300 must be for the glory of God. 570 00:26:42,460 --> 00:26:44,520 It must be for the glory of God. 571 00:26:45,840 --> 00:26:48,900 Do you remember that group in Europe? 572 00:26:49,020 --> 00:26:50,580 I'm trying to think of their name now. 573 00:26:51,280 --> 00:26:54,880 But they, they did more for missions. 574 00:26:57,250 --> 00:26:59,510 They did more for missions in one year 575 00:26:59,510 --> 00:27:02,230 that most of all the churches in the 576 00:27:02,230 --> 00:27:04,810 world in those days put together did. 577 00:27:05,730 --> 00:27:09,410 They started a prayer meeting that never quit 578 00:27:09,410 --> 00:27:11,130 day or night for a hundred years. 579 00:27:13,240 --> 00:27:15,020 I met one of the workers in South 580 00:27:15,020 --> 00:27:18,020 America years ago, and he still had the 581 00:27:18,020 --> 00:27:20,840 fire, but he admitted that most of their 582 00:27:20,840 --> 00:27:22,340 people had lost the fire. 583 00:27:22,940 --> 00:27:25,740 It wasn't the way it had once been. 584 00:27:28,280 --> 00:27:29,160 Is God willing? 585 00:27:31,660 --> 00:27:33,820 They that wait on the Lord shall renew 586 00:27:33,820 --> 00:27:34,900 their strength. 587 00:27:35,340 --> 00:27:38,720 You'll get new power by waiting on God, 588 00:27:39,120 --> 00:27:41,080 and He'll give each of us what we 589 00:27:41,080 --> 00:27:43,600 need to know and have by way of 590 00:27:43,600 --> 00:27:46,880 spiritual enablements and so on. 591 00:27:47,500 --> 00:27:50,580 He'll do it right, but we need to 592 00:27:50,580 --> 00:27:51,660 seek His face. 593 00:27:52,640 --> 00:27:55,220 We need to get before God and confess 594 00:27:55,220 --> 00:27:57,660 that what He said about you is true. 595 00:27:57,780 --> 00:27:59,920 He said, you're but of nothing. 596 00:28:00,640 --> 00:28:01,600 You know nothing. 597 00:28:01,700 --> 00:28:03,680 You're but of yesterday and know nothing. 598 00:28:04,780 --> 00:28:06,820 You're less than nothing, He said. 599 00:28:07,380 --> 00:28:09,460 Have you ever confessed that to God? 600 00:28:10,640 --> 00:28:12,320 Well, it's time you did that, you know. 601 00:28:12,380 --> 00:28:14,940 Say, God, you said, I'm less than nothing. 602 00:28:15,020 --> 00:28:15,660 I believe it. 603 00:28:15,660 --> 00:28:16,500 I accept that. 604 00:28:16,920 --> 00:28:19,500 Thank you for being so kind as to 605 00:28:19,500 --> 00:28:20,580 tell me the truth. 606 00:28:21,430 --> 00:28:23,480 And we have to start from there. 607 00:28:23,920 --> 00:28:25,360 That's where we start. 608 00:28:25,520 --> 00:28:26,160 We're nothing. 609 00:28:26,720 --> 00:28:27,880 We're less than nothing. 610 00:28:28,260 --> 00:28:29,840 We're not even a hole in the ground. 611 00:28:30,720 --> 00:28:32,100 That's how God sees us. 612 00:28:32,500 --> 00:28:35,380 And of course, He's speaking of us in 613 00:28:35,380 --> 00:28:36,760 comparison to Himself. 614 00:28:40,840 --> 00:28:44,400 God is not as we are or anything 615 00:28:44,400 --> 00:28:45,420 like that. 616 00:28:46,260 --> 00:28:49,080 The inhabitants of the earth, He said, are 617 00:28:49,080 --> 00:28:51,280 grass in Isaiah 40. 618 00:28:51,520 --> 00:28:54,060 And later on in Isaiah 40, He said, 619 00:28:54,140 --> 00:28:55,340 we're grasshoppers. 620 00:28:56,480 --> 00:28:57,940 That's not very flattering. 621 00:28:58,640 --> 00:29:01,560 He just wants His people to understand we 622 00:29:01,560 --> 00:29:02,340 don't have it. 623 00:29:03,420 --> 00:29:04,620 We don't have it. 624 00:29:04,680 --> 00:29:09,860 We have an intelligent mind, but we have 625 00:29:09,860 --> 00:29:13,060 to seek God to get the best in 626 00:29:13,060 --> 00:29:13,540 life. 627 00:29:14,360 --> 00:29:16,080 I say the best in life for the 628 00:29:16,080 --> 00:29:17,000 glory of God. 629 00:29:17,980 --> 00:29:20,600 And it comes through prevailing prayer. 630 00:29:21,680 --> 00:29:22,580 Don't give up. 631 00:29:23,360 --> 00:29:26,980 Remember when the disciples said, they asked Jesus, 632 00:29:27,160 --> 00:29:30,040 teach us to pray, as John taught his 633 00:29:30,040 --> 00:29:30,700 disciples. 634 00:29:32,000 --> 00:29:33,320 And he taught them to pray. 635 00:29:33,720 --> 00:29:35,680 He gave them part of the Lord's prayer. 636 00:29:36,240 --> 00:29:39,460 And then he went into that parable about 637 00:29:39,460 --> 00:29:41,160 the fellow who needed some help. 638 00:29:42,060 --> 00:29:44,840 He went to a friend at night, apparently, 639 00:29:45,580 --> 00:29:48,020 asking for help because somebody had come in 640 00:29:48,020 --> 00:29:49,920 a journey and he had no food in 641 00:29:49,920 --> 00:29:50,360 the house. 642 00:29:50,820 --> 00:29:52,320 Can you please give us some bread? 643 00:29:53,560 --> 00:29:55,560 And his friend hollered back, shut up. 644 00:29:55,840 --> 00:29:57,180 The kids are with me in bed. 645 00:29:57,340 --> 00:29:58,660 I can't do this. 646 00:29:59,600 --> 00:30:03,400 But then it says this, as Jesus said, 647 00:30:03,840 --> 00:30:05,880 I say unto you, though he will not 648 00:30:05,880 --> 00:30:08,760 rise and give him because he is his 649 00:30:08,760 --> 00:30:14,060 friend, but because of his importunity, he will 650 00:30:14,060 --> 00:30:15,980 rise and give him as many as he 651 00:30:15,980 --> 00:30:16,480 needs. 652 00:30:17,720 --> 00:30:19,580 So God is our friend. 653 00:30:19,840 --> 00:30:21,100 We are friends to God. 654 00:30:23,120 --> 00:30:24,760 It's got to be a little more than 655 00:30:24,760 --> 00:30:26,660 that, in a sense. 656 00:30:27,840 --> 00:30:33,240 His importunity has been called shameless asking or 657 00:30:33,240 --> 00:30:35,940 asking that could not be denied. 658 00:30:37,640 --> 00:30:43,860 It's that kind of praying, asking God, persevering. 659 00:30:45,000 --> 00:30:46,680 But you know, you have to make sure 660 00:30:46,680 --> 00:30:49,120 at the outset, it's for the glory of 661 00:30:49,120 --> 00:30:53,680 God and for other people's good that you're 662 00:30:53,680 --> 00:30:56,080 crying to God for power or whatever it 663 00:30:56,080 --> 00:30:57,920 is you have in mind. 664 00:30:58,680 --> 00:30:59,660 He's willing. 665 00:31:00,040 --> 00:31:02,820 He gives liberally to all men. 666 00:31:03,940 --> 00:31:04,780 He's a giver. 667 00:31:05,640 --> 00:31:08,180 When you think of God, you think of 668 00:31:08,180 --> 00:31:08,960 his gifts. 669 00:31:09,700 --> 00:31:13,340 He's a giver and he's not a slow 670 00:31:13,340 --> 00:31:13,900 giver. 671 00:31:15,940 --> 00:31:19,280 You know, there were two things that caused 672 00:31:19,280 --> 00:31:20,800 Jesus to be amazed. 673 00:31:22,100 --> 00:31:25,460 One was he was amazed at their unbelief. 674 00:31:26,620 --> 00:31:30,040 Another case, he was amazed at a certain 675 00:31:30,040 --> 00:31:31,520 Gentile's faith. 676 00:31:32,640 --> 00:31:34,700 He said, I haven't found faith like this 677 00:31:34,700 --> 00:31:36,280 in the whole of Israel. 678 00:31:37,280 --> 00:31:39,680 And he said, and he warned his disciples 679 00:31:39,680 --> 00:31:43,960 and others that there was a time coming 680 00:31:43,960 --> 00:31:47,180 when people would come from the east, the 681 00:31:47,180 --> 00:31:49,680 west, the north and the south and sit 682 00:31:49,680 --> 00:31:51,200 down in the kingdom of God. 683 00:31:51,520 --> 00:31:54,920 He was referring to the conversion of thousands 684 00:31:54,920 --> 00:31:56,140 of Gentiles. 685 00:31:56,980 --> 00:31:59,680 That was a new thought also, something of 686 00:31:59,680 --> 00:32:01,880 course that Jesus taught them. 687 00:32:04,520 --> 00:32:07,240 Well, I don't have one particular text to 688 00:32:07,240 --> 00:32:07,700 leave. 689 00:32:08,160 --> 00:32:10,620 If I did have, I suppose it wouldn't 690 00:32:10,620 --> 00:32:15,480 be Ephesians 618, praying always with all prayer 691 00:32:15,480 --> 00:32:19,780 and supplication in the spirit and watching there 692 00:32:19,780 --> 00:32:24,060 unto with all perseverance and it says, and 693 00:32:24,060 --> 00:32:28,660 for all saints praying for one another, praying 694 00:32:28,660 --> 00:32:32,980 for the lost, crying in the spirit's power. 695 00:32:33,820 --> 00:32:36,580 It says, remember, for to pray in the 696 00:32:36,580 --> 00:32:37,040 spirit. 697 00:32:37,400 --> 00:32:39,980 We're told that twice in the New Testament 698 00:32:39,980 --> 00:32:42,940 and I'm sure Jesus had taught them. 699 00:32:43,860 --> 00:32:44,940 But you know, when you look at the 700 00:32:44,940 --> 00:32:48,740 contrast, all the training of three years, a 701 00:32:48,740 --> 00:32:51,680 little more than three years, all they had 702 00:32:51,680 --> 00:32:56,060 seen, all they had heard, all that they 703 00:32:56,060 --> 00:33:00,040 had done, they too had raised, I don't 704 00:33:00,040 --> 00:33:01,460 know about raising the dead, but they certainly 705 00:33:01,460 --> 00:33:05,260 had healed the sick and cast out demons 706 00:33:05,260 --> 00:33:06,200 and all of that. 707 00:33:06,860 --> 00:33:08,320 But none of it was sufficient. 708 00:33:09,500 --> 00:33:11,000 And we have to keep this in mind 709 00:33:11,000 --> 00:33:13,600 because it's something we've lost in the church. 710 00:33:14,700 --> 00:33:16,940 We figure three or four years in a 711 00:33:16,940 --> 00:33:19,940 Bible school or seminary, that'll be all they 712 00:33:19,940 --> 00:33:20,280 need. 713 00:33:20,440 --> 00:33:21,700 It isn't all they need. 714 00:33:23,020 --> 00:33:24,240 It wasn't all they know. 715 00:33:24,600 --> 00:33:27,220 They had more than anybody in seminary or 716 00:33:27,220 --> 00:33:30,940 Bible college would ever see or ever hear 717 00:33:31,580 --> 00:33:33,360 or ever be a part of. 718 00:33:34,140 --> 00:33:35,720 And yet they weren't ready to go. 719 00:33:37,180 --> 00:33:40,860 He said, tarry until, put those two words 720 00:33:40,860 --> 00:33:45,540 together, tarry until you've been imbued with power. 721 00:33:46,100 --> 00:33:49,040 The spirit will come and fill your life. 722 00:33:49,840 --> 00:33:52,480 Then you'll have power to preach the gospel. 723 00:33:52,980 --> 00:33:54,540 How is it that in the church of 724 00:33:54,540 --> 00:33:55,960 God we've lost this? 725 00:33:56,700 --> 00:33:59,700 Sometimes people say, well, the Pentecostals talk about 726 00:33:59,700 --> 00:33:59,980 it. 727 00:34:00,320 --> 00:34:01,560 Well, thank God they do. 728 00:34:02,060 --> 00:34:03,680 And I'm sure there are some people among 729 00:34:03,680 --> 00:34:06,380 them that receive a true baptism of the 730 00:34:06,380 --> 00:34:06,740 spirit. 731 00:34:07,760 --> 00:34:10,300 But this is open to all of God's 732 00:34:10,300 --> 00:34:12,020 children everywhere. 733 00:34:16,290 --> 00:34:23,270 I close then, honesty, humility, and perseverance. 734 00:34:23,750 --> 00:34:24,510 Don't give up. 735 00:34:26,699 --> 00:34:30,900 But wait until God comes in great power. 736 00:34:31,540 --> 00:34:32,420 And he will. 737 00:34:32,600 --> 00:34:35,139 We're praying for that in the church. 738 00:34:35,940 --> 00:34:37,940 That means, of course, we have to pray 739 00:34:37,940 --> 00:34:39,860 for it in our own life. 740 00:34:41,280 --> 00:34:45,139 It has to start with someone, somewhere. 741 00:34:46,080 --> 00:34:46,699 Let's pray. 742 00:34:53,520 --> 00:34:59,890 Father above, thank you that you're here. 743 00:35:02,130 --> 00:35:05,650 You said whom having not seen, you love. 744 00:35:06,730 --> 00:35:08,870 In whom though now you see him not, 745 00:35:09,770 --> 00:35:14,630 yet believe me, you rejoice with joy unspeakable 746 00:35:15,270 --> 00:35:16,710 and full of glory. 747 00:35:16,910 --> 00:35:18,610 And Father, we know you could open our 748 00:35:18,610 --> 00:35:21,930 eyes in a second and show us this 749 00:35:21,930 --> 00:35:27,250 room filled with angels here to watch the 750 00:35:27,250 --> 00:35:33,090 work of God and your spirit's power, Lord, 751 00:35:33,190 --> 00:35:33,730 everywhere. 752 00:35:34,430 --> 00:35:37,390 It's hidden from us now and will be 753 00:35:37,390 --> 00:35:38,810 till Jesus returns. 754 00:35:38,950 --> 00:35:40,150 We know that, dear Father. 755 00:35:40,330 --> 00:35:43,250 But, Lord, you know the burden that's on 756 00:35:43,250 --> 00:35:46,030 many of our hearts here to see a 757 00:35:46,030 --> 00:35:50,370 deep working of personal revival. 758 00:35:51,150 --> 00:35:54,370 God grant it, we pray, for we pray 759 00:35:54,370 --> 00:35:59,190 in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord 760 00:35:59,190 --> 00:35:59,690 and Savior. 761 00:36:00,630 --> 00:36:01,030 Hallelujah. 762 00:36:02,170 --> 00:36:02,650 Amen. 763 00:36:05,190 --> 00:36:07,050 You've been listening to the From the Pulpit 764 00:36:07,050 --> 00:36:08,230 in Classic Sermons series. 765 00:36:08,790 --> 00:36:11,090 This week, you heard Bill McLeod and his 766 00:36:11,090 --> 00:36:13,010 message, Jesus Training the Twelve. 767 00:36:13,710 --> 00:36:15,070 Tune in next week to hear K.P. 768 00:36:15,130 --> 00:36:17,710 Yohannan speak about running the race like Abraham 769 00:36:17,710 --> 00:36:20,470 on From the Pulpit in Classic Sermons.