1 00:00:00,520 --> 00:00:03,019 Welcome to From the Pulpit and Classic Sermons. 2 00:00:03,600 --> 00:00:05,120 Each week we bring you a different message 3 00:00:05,120 --> 00:00:07,220 from some of history's greatest speakers in the 4 00:00:07,220 --> 00:00:10,080 Christian faith and powerful sermons for modern preachers 5 00:00:10,080 --> 00:00:10,320 too. 6 00:00:10,920 --> 00:00:13,160 This week we have K.P. Yohannan with 7 00:00:13,160 --> 00:00:15,360 his message, Run the Race Like Abraham. 8 00:00:18,200 --> 00:00:23,880 The end of a matter is better than 9 00:00:23,880 --> 00:00:25,200 its beginning. 10 00:00:26,960 --> 00:00:29,660 You know, this is true. 11 00:00:29,660 --> 00:00:34,580 Somebody starts to build a beautiful house, the 12 00:00:34,580 --> 00:00:37,120 blueprint is there, we look at it, terrible 13 00:00:37,120 --> 00:00:42,500 excitement, but when the house gets done, sometimes 14 00:00:42,500 --> 00:00:45,320 it's a huge disappointment. 15 00:00:46,400 --> 00:00:50,100 What we dreamed, imagined, is not what actually 16 00:00:50,100 --> 00:00:50,680 we are getting. 17 00:00:50,920 --> 00:00:52,260 Then of course, you know, you go into 18 00:00:52,260 --> 00:00:54,780 a crisis of trying to fix everything. 19 00:00:55,420 --> 00:00:57,740 So even though we might understand the beginning 20 00:00:57,740 --> 00:00:59,540 of the process, the whole thing, but if 21 00:00:59,540 --> 00:01:03,500 the thing is done beautifully, then it makes 22 00:01:03,500 --> 00:01:04,860 us quite happy. 23 00:01:05,840 --> 00:01:09,760 Hebrews chapter 13 verse 7 says like this, 24 00:01:10,560 --> 00:01:14,020 the scripture says, consider these people, you know, 25 00:01:14,120 --> 00:01:19,900 like Hebrews 11, consider their end, how significant, 26 00:01:20,480 --> 00:01:27,040 beautiful, wholesome it was, and you follow in 27 00:01:27,040 --> 00:01:28,080 their footsteps. 28 00:01:28,800 --> 00:01:31,660 Paul said in 1 Corinthians chapter 9 verse 29 00:01:31,660 --> 00:01:34,160 24, he said, a whole lot of people 30 00:01:34,160 --> 00:01:37,600 are running the race, millions of them, he 31 00:01:37,600 --> 00:01:40,320 says, are starting this race, but not all 32 00:01:40,320 --> 00:01:41,600 going to finish it well. 33 00:01:43,900 --> 00:01:46,180 We learn from bad examples. 34 00:01:47,980 --> 00:01:50,640 You know, I heard one famous evangelist one 35 00:01:50,640 --> 00:01:52,000 time, when I was studying in seminary, he 36 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:54,340 said, you know, I grew up in this 37 00:01:54,340 --> 00:01:56,580 home where my father was, this, then he 38 00:01:56,580 --> 00:01:59,220 explained, I mean, it's a disastrous example, he 39 00:01:59,220 --> 00:02:01,400 said, I made a decision, I don't want 40 00:02:01,400 --> 00:02:02,880 to be like him when I grow up. 41 00:02:03,740 --> 00:02:07,259 But then we have incredibly godly examples in 42 00:02:07,259 --> 00:02:09,600 the scripture, also bad examples, you know. 43 00:02:10,060 --> 00:02:14,700 Paul said, follow me as I follow the 44 00:02:14,700 --> 00:02:15,060 Lord. 45 00:02:15,760 --> 00:02:20,180 So in our life journey, as believers in 46 00:02:20,180 --> 00:02:23,260 Christ, particularly as people, those who want to 47 00:02:23,260 --> 00:02:26,180 serve the Lord, I think it should be 48 00:02:26,180 --> 00:02:28,940 a consideration, especially if you are over age 49 00:02:28,940 --> 00:02:35,560 30, you want to be concerned that you 50 00:02:35,560 --> 00:02:38,260 continue to run the race and finish well. 51 00:02:39,680 --> 00:02:43,160 Consider their end, not only of godly people, 52 00:02:43,400 --> 00:02:45,560 but you know, when you think about people 53 00:02:45,560 --> 00:02:54,920 like Saul, Solomon, Gehazi, Judas, Demas, I mean, 54 00:02:54,960 --> 00:02:59,260 Paul writes in one letter, Demas, my colleague, 55 00:02:59,380 --> 00:03:01,860 my co-worker, who labored with me so 56 00:03:01,860 --> 00:03:03,060 faithfully, greet you. 57 00:03:03,560 --> 00:03:05,740 Just four years later, he writes in 2nd 58 00:03:05,740 --> 00:03:07,980 Timothy, Timothy, I'm so grieved. 59 00:03:08,580 --> 00:03:12,540 Demas, having loved this present world, he has 60 00:03:12,540 --> 00:03:14,940 forsaken me and he left me. 61 00:03:16,900 --> 00:03:19,820 I thought about sharing tonight, I said, you 62 00:03:19,820 --> 00:03:24,900 know, this is not the right message or 63 00:03:24,900 --> 00:03:27,520 talk for you, my brothers and sisters. 64 00:03:28,700 --> 00:03:30,940 You know, this is the kind of message 65 00:03:30,940 --> 00:03:33,360 that we spoken to a bunch of really 66 00:03:33,360 --> 00:03:35,620 bad, mean, backsliding people. 67 00:03:36,160 --> 00:03:38,340 But here I'm talking to a group of 68 00:03:38,340 --> 00:03:40,620 vibrant, committed, godly people. 69 00:03:40,700 --> 00:03:42,040 As a matter of fact, today I was 70 00:03:42,040 --> 00:03:44,440 looking at the entire list of our staff, 71 00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:47,400 their wives and children and all that, and 72 00:03:47,400 --> 00:03:50,580 looking at it, I said, dear Lord, I 73 00:03:50,580 --> 00:03:53,480 can't believe what an incredible group of people 74 00:03:53,480 --> 00:03:54,400 you raised up. 75 00:03:55,540 --> 00:03:58,040 The kind of people we are, the community, 76 00:03:58,180 --> 00:03:58,720 the family. 77 00:03:59,280 --> 00:04:03,280 So I kind of felt, you know, weary 78 00:04:03,280 --> 00:04:06,600 about sharing this, but then I asked myself, 79 00:04:06,800 --> 00:04:09,580 why I even thought about sharing this during 80 00:04:09,580 --> 00:04:12,440 our Gospel Feast at Tuesday and at prayer 81 00:04:12,440 --> 00:04:12,760 meeting. 82 00:04:13,100 --> 00:04:14,540 The answer was very quick. 83 00:04:16,240 --> 00:04:18,860 You know, someone like me in Christian leadership, 84 00:04:19,980 --> 00:04:23,680 you know, it's now becoming almost a normal 85 00:04:23,680 --> 00:04:24,120 thing. 86 00:04:24,440 --> 00:04:25,520 I no more should be shocked. 87 00:04:25,640 --> 00:04:28,080 There's not a week go by I don't 88 00:04:28,080 --> 00:04:31,720 read one email or get a telephone call 89 00:04:31,720 --> 00:04:33,880 or hear somebody tell me on the telephone 90 00:04:33,880 --> 00:04:37,300 about someone that I knew or I heard 91 00:04:37,300 --> 00:04:40,440 about who'd been doing very well for years 92 00:04:40,440 --> 00:04:42,260 in their walk with God, all of a 93 00:04:42,260 --> 00:04:43,180 sudden disappears. 94 00:04:44,920 --> 00:04:48,360 And it reminds me of this interesting song 95 00:04:48,360 --> 00:04:49,520 in my native language. 96 00:04:49,680 --> 00:04:52,000 Now, don't get panicky, I'm going to sing 97 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:52,520 it for you. 98 00:04:53,020 --> 00:04:54,220 I want you to remain here a few 99 00:04:54,220 --> 00:04:54,820 more minutes. 100 00:04:55,740 --> 00:05:00,940 The meaning of the song, it's, Lord, people 101 00:05:00,940 --> 00:05:06,580 that been more godly, upright, sober, holier, knowledgeable 102 00:05:06,580 --> 00:05:09,600 and committed than me, oh Lord, in this 103 00:05:09,600 --> 00:05:12,900 journey, now I see only the skull and 104 00:05:12,900 --> 00:05:15,700 the bones of these people that remains. 105 00:05:16,180 --> 00:05:18,460 They have fallen by the wayside. 106 00:05:18,920 --> 00:05:22,260 Then the last answer, oh Lord, preserve me 107 00:05:22,260 --> 00:05:24,840 by your grace and mercy that I may 108 00:05:24,840 --> 00:05:26,360 make it to the end. 109 00:05:27,960 --> 00:05:33,040 And so the answer why I'm sharing this, 110 00:05:33,520 --> 00:05:36,500 and maybe you, my brothers and sisters streaming 111 00:05:36,500 --> 00:05:40,660 and watching this, maybe the reason I'm sharing 112 00:05:40,660 --> 00:05:43,020 this more than anything else, because I am 113 00:05:43,020 --> 00:05:48,260 reminded every week that I have to be 114 00:05:48,260 --> 00:05:53,460 cautious and be concerned and fearful and have 115 00:05:53,460 --> 00:05:57,160 some trembling about my own journey, a few 116 00:05:57,160 --> 00:05:59,580 more years that left before me. 117 00:06:00,360 --> 00:06:03,540 It's been over 43 years since I began 118 00:06:03,540 --> 00:06:04,860 this journey serving God. 119 00:06:05,680 --> 00:06:08,540 And obviously, you know, I have dealt with 120 00:06:08,540 --> 00:06:10,680 literally hundreds of people around the world. 121 00:06:11,420 --> 00:06:14,420 And the stories of people that I believed 122 00:06:14,420 --> 00:06:19,260 to be the best, super great people, many 123 00:06:19,260 --> 00:06:20,800 of them are no more in the race. 124 00:06:21,540 --> 00:06:24,140 And I say, who am I to take 125 00:06:24,140 --> 00:06:25,700 my journey for granted? 126 00:06:27,360 --> 00:06:30,620 And in Gospel for Asia story of over 127 00:06:30,620 --> 00:06:32,600 30 years of our journey with the Lord, 128 00:06:32,780 --> 00:06:34,600 we can tell you story after story of 129 00:06:34,600 --> 00:06:37,880 people that, you know, I pledged my life 130 00:06:37,880 --> 00:06:38,160 to. 131 00:06:38,500 --> 00:06:40,600 And people like David Carroll can tell me, 132 00:06:40,720 --> 00:06:43,100 I would fly across the world to spend 133 00:06:43,100 --> 00:06:45,580 days with someone to pray and weep and 134 00:06:45,580 --> 00:06:49,300 agonize, trying to rescue them from sliding away 135 00:06:49,300 --> 00:06:50,260 back into the world. 136 00:06:50,380 --> 00:06:52,220 People who walked with God for 20, for 137 00:06:52,220 --> 00:06:54,560 30 years, being Christian leadership. 138 00:06:56,120 --> 00:06:59,000 And so some ways, this is a message 139 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:01,460 for my own heart, because I know my 140 00:07:01,460 --> 00:07:04,960 struggles and weakness, my failures, as someone who 141 00:07:04,960 --> 00:07:06,120 seek to follow the Lord. 142 00:07:06,840 --> 00:07:11,820 But then I found Abraham, this amazing individual 143 00:07:12,480 --> 00:07:15,860 who began this journey and ended brilliant. 144 00:07:17,600 --> 00:07:20,620 He finished exceptionally well. 145 00:07:20,980 --> 00:07:22,480 But here's the thing that encouraged me. 146 00:07:23,080 --> 00:07:25,740 Abraham, I'm sure you are saying to yourself, 147 00:07:26,160 --> 00:07:26,820 what do you mean? 148 00:07:27,440 --> 00:07:29,600 He did a whole bunch of dumb things. 149 00:07:30,060 --> 00:07:31,280 That's the reason I like him. 150 00:07:32,200 --> 00:07:33,720 That's the reason I like him. 151 00:07:34,260 --> 00:07:36,180 The reason is, he was a man who 152 00:07:36,180 --> 00:07:41,160 dealt with many struggles and fears and anxiety 153 00:07:41,160 --> 00:07:44,120 and failures, times as a husband, he couldn't 154 00:07:44,120 --> 00:07:46,500 be a husband, but let his wife talk 155 00:07:46,500 --> 00:07:49,320 him into doing some real weird stuff and 156 00:07:49,320 --> 00:07:51,220 got in trouble and all those different things. 157 00:07:51,640 --> 00:07:52,900 Wives don't get mad at me. 158 00:07:53,920 --> 00:07:58,280 As Paul said, we get knocked down, but 159 00:07:58,280 --> 00:08:00,620 not knocked out. 160 00:08:01,840 --> 00:08:04,900 So it is not the failures and setbacks 161 00:08:04,900 --> 00:08:07,800 and our cold hearts and times we fall 162 00:08:07,800 --> 00:08:12,420 in sin or our discouragement or want to 163 00:08:12,420 --> 00:08:15,160 kill ourselves and, you know, temptation to give 164 00:08:15,160 --> 00:08:17,700 up everything and walk away from God is 165 00:08:17,700 --> 00:08:20,360 not the end of the story. 166 00:08:20,600 --> 00:08:22,700 Because we see that in the life of 167 00:08:22,700 --> 00:08:23,140 Abraham. 168 00:08:23,820 --> 00:08:26,700 And finally, we know the promise God made. 169 00:08:26,840 --> 00:08:30,540 Abraham, you are going to be the father 170 00:08:30,540 --> 00:08:31,159 of nations. 171 00:08:31,860 --> 00:08:32,900 And he did become. 172 00:08:33,860 --> 00:08:36,700 In Psalm 2, we read the promise the 173 00:08:36,700 --> 00:08:37,520 Lord gave to us. 174 00:08:37,980 --> 00:08:41,140 I will give you nations as your inheritance. 175 00:08:41,539 --> 00:08:42,460 Just ask of me. 176 00:08:44,300 --> 00:08:47,920 And the promise we have, just as Abraham, 177 00:08:48,200 --> 00:08:49,840 we are his children by faith. 178 00:08:50,140 --> 00:08:53,180 I will bless you and make your life 179 00:08:53,180 --> 00:08:54,460 a great blessing. 180 00:08:55,040 --> 00:08:58,740 The older I get, the more convinced I 181 00:08:58,740 --> 00:08:59,160 become. 182 00:08:59,980 --> 00:09:02,320 The greatest blessing of my life is not 183 00:09:02,320 --> 00:09:06,020 the material things or the books I write 184 00:09:06,020 --> 00:09:06,900 or stuff like that. 185 00:09:07,260 --> 00:09:09,320 It is some ways the legacy I can 186 00:09:09,320 --> 00:09:12,220 leave behind of the influence in the lives 187 00:09:12,220 --> 00:09:15,300 of other people that somehow the Lord used 188 00:09:15,300 --> 00:09:17,500 the feeble life of mine to bless other 189 00:09:17,500 --> 00:09:17,900 people. 190 00:09:18,620 --> 00:09:20,940 And I think this is our inheritance. 191 00:09:21,620 --> 00:09:24,420 But here are some key principles that I 192 00:09:24,420 --> 00:09:26,980 figured out that could be applied from Abraham's 193 00:09:26,980 --> 00:09:27,280 life. 194 00:09:27,920 --> 00:09:28,700 Just a few of them. 195 00:09:29,060 --> 00:09:30,220 I will not tell you how many. 196 00:09:30,700 --> 00:09:32,640 If I run out of time, then we 197 00:09:32,640 --> 00:09:33,500 will pick it up later. 198 00:09:34,440 --> 00:09:38,720 One is his willingness to forsake all to 199 00:09:38,720 --> 00:09:40,060 obey the call of God. 200 00:09:42,260 --> 00:09:44,260 Genesis chapter 12, verse 1 and 2. 201 00:09:44,440 --> 00:09:50,220 Abraham, yes God, I want to bless you. 202 00:09:50,840 --> 00:09:52,120 And I want to show you something that 203 00:09:52,120 --> 00:09:53,320 is incredibly wonderful. 204 00:09:53,440 --> 00:09:54,940 You can't even imagine about these things. 205 00:09:55,420 --> 00:09:57,920 But you have to give up your home, 206 00:09:58,220 --> 00:10:00,040 your siblings and everything you know. 207 00:10:00,500 --> 00:10:01,280 Just walk away. 208 00:10:01,980 --> 00:10:04,260 And there's no way he could explain that 209 00:10:04,260 --> 00:10:05,820 to his people and convince them. 210 00:10:06,320 --> 00:10:08,180 There are staff people sitting here. 211 00:10:08,460 --> 00:10:10,560 When they heard you are going to Dallas, 212 00:10:10,700 --> 00:10:12,740 Texas, I'm sure a whole bunch of your 213 00:10:12,740 --> 00:10:15,500 people said California or Seattle or somewhere else 214 00:10:15,500 --> 00:10:16,020 said where? 215 00:10:16,800 --> 00:10:17,100 Texas? 216 00:10:18,600 --> 00:10:20,360 And you made it. 217 00:10:22,160 --> 00:10:24,320 And there was no way for you to 218 00:10:24,320 --> 00:10:29,200 be here without walking away from a lot 219 00:10:29,200 --> 00:10:29,760 of stuff. 220 00:10:31,160 --> 00:10:35,120 And not only geographically, but also relationships. 221 00:10:35,820 --> 00:10:37,920 And even now, some of us, I'm sure 222 00:10:37,920 --> 00:10:41,320 are struggling with the old emotions and that 223 00:10:41,320 --> 00:10:41,980 pull. 224 00:10:42,480 --> 00:10:45,460 And sometimes we slide back like flashback, you 225 00:10:45,460 --> 00:10:47,220 know, the kid's face who's been on drugs. 226 00:10:47,440 --> 00:10:48,640 I've never been on drugs. 227 00:10:48,780 --> 00:10:50,240 So I'm just telling you things I hear 228 00:10:50,240 --> 00:10:50,740 from people. 229 00:10:51,220 --> 00:10:52,620 They got what he called flashbacks. 230 00:10:53,400 --> 00:10:58,880 And so, but Abraham, in spite of the 231 00:10:58,880 --> 00:11:01,640 whole world against him, saying you are the 232 00:11:01,640 --> 00:11:05,520 dumbest, most stupid, insane human being on earth 233 00:11:05,520 --> 00:11:08,700 to leave everything here, then go to a 234 00:11:08,700 --> 00:11:09,360 place where? 235 00:11:09,960 --> 00:11:11,400 I don't know. 236 00:11:12,100 --> 00:11:13,500 What do you mean you don't know? 237 00:11:14,020 --> 00:11:15,440 Well, God said, which God? 238 00:11:15,840 --> 00:11:17,580 We got 300 million sitting here. 239 00:11:18,640 --> 00:11:22,460 He said, I can't explain logic and reason 240 00:11:22,460 --> 00:11:23,580 won't help. 241 00:11:23,940 --> 00:11:25,260 Only the heart help. 242 00:11:26,180 --> 00:11:29,000 And my brothers and sisters, a lot of 243 00:11:29,000 --> 00:11:31,920 things we do in life, nobody will be 244 00:11:31,920 --> 00:11:34,460 able to believe it, nor will your reason 245 00:11:34,460 --> 00:11:36,120 be able to accept it. 246 00:11:36,580 --> 00:11:38,680 But I'm telling you, like Judson and his 247 00:11:38,680 --> 00:11:41,840 wife, Nancy, leaving the shores of America as 248 00:11:41,840 --> 00:11:44,100 the first missionaries to go overseas to India 249 00:11:44,100 --> 00:11:44,580 and Burma. 250 00:11:45,360 --> 00:11:47,240 He will have to bury his children and 251 00:11:47,240 --> 00:11:49,140 his wife, a broken man. 252 00:11:49,720 --> 00:11:51,080 Nobody in the world understand. 253 00:11:51,240 --> 00:11:54,040 The whole America cried out, come back. 254 00:11:54,580 --> 00:11:57,140 But he must continue the journey to leave 255 00:11:57,140 --> 00:12:00,400 a legacy over a million Burmese that were 256 00:12:00,400 --> 00:12:03,560 lost for eternity, that will come to know 257 00:12:03,560 --> 00:12:05,200 the Lord through one life. 258 00:12:06,460 --> 00:12:07,380 He left all. 259 00:12:09,700 --> 00:12:11,260 And Abraham did it. 260 00:12:11,980 --> 00:12:14,740 And no wonder why we still talk about 261 00:12:14,740 --> 00:12:16,460 Abraham, we still talk about Judson. 262 00:12:16,460 --> 00:12:23,300 Number two, never he gave up the call, 263 00:12:23,740 --> 00:12:28,540 no matter how many trials, temptations, problems, obstacles, 264 00:12:29,080 --> 00:12:31,260 and personal failures he faced. 265 00:12:31,820 --> 00:12:32,920 Now here's the thing. 266 00:12:33,140 --> 00:12:36,340 Some of us, like me, we travel here 267 00:12:36,340 --> 00:12:38,560 and there by aeroplane, train, all those things, 268 00:12:38,760 --> 00:12:38,920 you know. 269 00:12:39,080 --> 00:12:43,860 I mean, please ask us if you want 270 00:12:43,860 --> 00:12:44,440 all the details. 271 00:12:44,560 --> 00:12:45,920 Our lives are not that easy. 272 00:12:45,920 --> 00:12:47,820 We miss the flights, we get the rotten 273 00:12:47,820 --> 00:12:51,200 seats, and all kind of things, and snow 274 00:12:51,200 --> 00:12:54,900 sometimes, the plane don't leave, and all kind 275 00:12:54,900 --> 00:12:55,200 of things. 276 00:12:55,320 --> 00:13:00,340 But we don't, you know, hang ourselves and 277 00:13:00,340 --> 00:13:02,480 say, I can't do this thing. 278 00:13:02,480 --> 00:13:03,680 We have to keep going. 279 00:13:03,960 --> 00:13:05,600 If you want the horror stories of my 280 00:13:05,600 --> 00:13:08,380 early days of journeys, talk to Heidi Chopp. 281 00:13:10,920 --> 00:13:12,000 We're going to talk about some of those 282 00:13:12,000 --> 00:13:12,300 things. 283 00:13:12,940 --> 00:13:13,180 Why? 284 00:13:13,380 --> 00:13:14,980 Because I knew where I was going. 285 00:13:15,300 --> 00:13:17,400 There's Chicago, New York, or London, wherever I 286 00:13:17,400 --> 00:13:19,700 was going, whatever it is, many difficulties and 287 00:13:19,700 --> 00:13:22,180 obstacles, and setbacks, and diarrhea, and cough, and 288 00:13:22,180 --> 00:13:24,200 sneezing, and all those things, you know. 289 00:13:24,200 --> 00:13:26,000 But we don't stop. 290 00:13:26,460 --> 00:13:28,420 See, this is what Abraham had to deal 291 00:13:28,420 --> 00:13:28,680 with. 292 00:13:29,420 --> 00:13:32,300 Along the way, he had many personal losses, 293 00:13:32,600 --> 00:13:35,660 and grief, and disappointments, and no kids, and 294 00:13:35,660 --> 00:13:36,820 promises never coming true. 295 00:13:37,040 --> 00:13:39,480 Waiting and waiting for 25 years, and God 296 00:13:39,480 --> 00:13:41,320 said, you can have it, but nothing happens. 297 00:13:41,560 --> 00:13:42,920 The whole world is mocking at him. 298 00:13:43,160 --> 00:13:44,260 Where is your God? 299 00:13:44,460 --> 00:13:46,500 And he says, God told me. 300 00:13:47,400 --> 00:13:48,400 It's dumb. 301 00:13:49,340 --> 00:13:52,120 But he will not give up one thing. 302 00:13:52,720 --> 00:13:55,600 My God said, go, I will show you. 303 00:13:56,300 --> 00:13:58,000 I can't see it now, but he said 304 00:13:58,000 --> 00:13:58,480 he will. 305 00:13:59,360 --> 00:14:04,340 Brothers and sisters, anyone who really wants to 306 00:14:04,340 --> 00:14:06,000 follow God, and I say this to you, 307 00:14:06,560 --> 00:14:10,500 especially after 40 years in this service of 308 00:14:10,500 --> 00:14:14,760 my Lord, you will never make it if 309 00:14:14,760 --> 00:14:18,100 you are going to depend on the good 310 00:14:18,100 --> 00:14:21,520 times, or bad times, or difficulties to figure 311 00:14:21,520 --> 00:14:23,160 out if this is a real call of 312 00:14:23,160 --> 00:14:24,020 God in your life. 313 00:14:26,870 --> 00:14:28,850 William Carey was called to go to India, 314 00:14:29,350 --> 00:14:30,430 and his wife was excited. 315 00:14:31,410 --> 00:14:35,830 And the last minute, his wife said, I'm 316 00:14:35,830 --> 00:14:36,450 not going to go. 317 00:14:37,170 --> 00:14:38,710 He says, fine, you stay back. 318 00:14:38,710 --> 00:14:41,110 And he got on the ship, and the 319 00:14:41,110 --> 00:14:42,650 ship started slowly moving. 320 00:14:43,290 --> 00:14:45,290 And then she stood, and she was screaming, 321 00:14:45,470 --> 00:14:45,950 come back! 322 00:14:47,690 --> 00:14:48,690 Did I wake you up? 323 00:14:51,090 --> 00:14:52,870 That is a deliverer, just to make sure 324 00:14:52,870 --> 00:14:53,730 you don't sleep on me. 325 00:14:55,390 --> 00:14:57,310 And the ship would come back and pick 326 00:14:57,310 --> 00:14:57,950 her up again. 327 00:14:58,650 --> 00:15:00,390 Did his life get easier? 328 00:15:01,430 --> 00:15:01,810 No. 329 00:15:03,730 --> 00:15:05,550 He had to dig the grave with his 330 00:15:05,550 --> 00:15:08,410 own hands, and nobody would help him to 331 00:15:08,410 --> 00:15:11,070 bury his wife on the mission field. 332 00:15:11,070 --> 00:15:14,090 What nonsense it is for you to think 333 00:15:14,090 --> 00:15:16,930 even one time, in this life of serving 334 00:15:16,930 --> 00:15:19,170 God, you will have all things easy. 335 00:15:20,810 --> 00:15:23,850 And you personally will fall in sin and 336 00:15:23,850 --> 00:15:27,370 fail, but if you remember, this is God's 337 00:15:27,370 --> 00:15:27,830 call. 338 00:15:27,830 --> 00:15:31,590 You will keep going, no matter who will 339 00:15:31,590 --> 00:15:33,570 cut your hand off, let go, put your 340 00:15:33,570 --> 00:15:35,370 eyes out, because you have one thing on 341 00:15:35,370 --> 00:15:35,890 your mind. 342 00:15:36,370 --> 00:15:39,710 My God called me, and I will keep 343 00:15:39,710 --> 00:15:41,210 moving till the end. 344 00:15:41,450 --> 00:15:43,750 If I cannot run, I will walk. 345 00:15:43,850 --> 00:15:45,590 If I cannot walk, I will crawl. 346 00:15:45,830 --> 00:15:48,030 If I cannot crawl, I will sit here, 347 00:15:48,290 --> 00:15:49,170 will not give up. 348 00:15:51,390 --> 00:15:53,290 When I saw one of these dear brothers 349 00:15:53,290 --> 00:15:58,130 in Orissa, who said, they asked me to 350 00:15:58,130 --> 00:16:01,250 make a choice, or my family will be 351 00:16:01,250 --> 00:16:01,570 killed. 352 00:16:02,610 --> 00:16:03,730 And he made a choice. 353 00:16:04,570 --> 00:16:05,670 I can't deny Christ. 354 00:16:06,410 --> 00:16:09,010 And they hacked that young man to death. 355 00:16:10,650 --> 00:16:13,790 You think the gospel of Christ for Indians 356 00:16:13,790 --> 00:16:16,690 and Chinese and Burmese are different from Americans? 357 00:16:18,270 --> 00:16:22,490 How lost we are in the cultural gospel 358 00:16:22,490 --> 00:16:25,290 that we are given to us by watered 359 00:16:25,290 --> 00:16:29,210 down, superficial Christianity and the promoters of such 360 00:16:29,210 --> 00:16:31,450 self-centered gospel in this country. 361 00:16:32,270 --> 00:16:34,090 And no wonder half of the world is 362 00:16:34,090 --> 00:16:36,710 going to hell while we are organizing over 363 00:16:36,710 --> 00:16:39,650 our few dollars, losing its value on our 364 00:16:39,650 --> 00:16:40,050 future. 365 00:16:42,250 --> 00:16:44,390 And I say this to you, because we 366 00:16:44,390 --> 00:16:46,950 need to be aware how deceptive our hearts 367 00:16:46,950 --> 00:16:49,510 can be, how can we lose our focus 368 00:16:49,510 --> 00:16:50,010 also. 369 00:16:50,550 --> 00:16:55,250 Number three, he made a choice that he's 370 00:16:55,250 --> 00:16:57,610 going to have his total dependence on the 371 00:16:57,610 --> 00:16:57,910 Lord. 372 00:16:59,290 --> 00:17:01,090 And God said, Abraham, I'll give you a 373 00:17:01,090 --> 00:17:01,270 son. 374 00:17:01,410 --> 00:17:03,050 But God looked at him and said, you 375 00:17:03,050 --> 00:17:04,770 know what, Abraham, you are too strong. 376 00:17:06,250 --> 00:17:09,109 Now, a 75-year-old man is now 377 00:17:09,109 --> 00:17:10,210 100 years old. 378 00:17:10,690 --> 00:17:12,569 Romans 4, he looked at his body and 379 00:17:12,569 --> 00:17:14,290 said, dear me, I'm dead. 380 00:17:15,550 --> 00:17:20,369 My wife, Sarah, you look more dead than 381 00:17:20,369 --> 00:17:20,670 me. 382 00:17:23,250 --> 00:17:25,069 I just made it up, by the way. 383 00:17:27,329 --> 00:17:30,910 Romans 4 says, he looked at his body 384 00:17:30,910 --> 00:17:33,830 and recognized he's dead and his wife too. 385 00:17:34,350 --> 00:17:36,690 Then God says something quite strange. 386 00:17:37,310 --> 00:17:38,450 Abraham, yes, God. 387 00:17:39,350 --> 00:17:40,710 Hey, I want you to do something. 388 00:17:41,510 --> 00:17:41,830 Whatever. 389 00:17:42,810 --> 00:17:43,670 Be circumcised. 390 00:17:44,110 --> 00:17:44,350 What? 391 00:17:46,670 --> 00:17:48,030 Yeah, that's what I said. 392 00:17:49,750 --> 00:17:53,570 I can understand taking a little boy eight 393 00:17:53,570 --> 00:17:56,430 days old to the hospital or rabbi and 394 00:17:56,430 --> 00:18:00,910 get them done, but 100-year-old man? 395 00:18:03,730 --> 00:18:08,790 Philippians 3 says, we are the true circumcision 396 00:18:08,790 --> 00:18:12,250 who place no confidence in the flesh. 397 00:18:13,710 --> 00:18:17,030 Your education, your good look, your smartness and 398 00:18:17,030 --> 00:18:20,570 your riches, your background, your cleverness and you 399 00:18:20,570 --> 00:18:22,170 think you can do it, I can do 400 00:18:22,170 --> 00:18:22,310 it. 401 00:18:22,310 --> 00:18:24,370 You know, one of my struggles of my 402 00:18:24,370 --> 00:18:27,330 life, often being always and always will be, 403 00:18:27,490 --> 00:18:28,930 I think, there are times in my life 404 00:18:28,930 --> 00:18:30,750 when I'm speaking to people in meetings and 405 00:18:30,750 --> 00:18:32,590 talking to individuals on the telephone, counseling. 406 00:18:33,170 --> 00:18:35,250 Once in a while, the Holy Spirit whispers, 407 00:18:36,330 --> 00:18:37,390 you are trying to be smart. 408 00:18:38,850 --> 00:18:40,030 You are trying to be clever. 409 00:18:41,330 --> 00:18:41,870 Drop it. 410 00:18:42,350 --> 00:18:42,970 Don't do it. 411 00:18:43,150 --> 00:18:43,810 Don't say anymore. 412 00:18:43,990 --> 00:18:44,410 Leave it. 413 00:18:45,210 --> 00:18:49,130 And I recognize my strength becomes my failure, 414 00:18:49,310 --> 00:18:49,850 my weakness. 415 00:18:50,030 --> 00:18:51,130 And I say, Lord, I'm sorry. 416 00:18:51,790 --> 00:18:53,830 You have your way and I back off. 417 00:18:56,070 --> 00:18:58,190 Continually, this is going to be our struggle 418 00:18:58,190 --> 00:18:59,390 in our journey with the Lord. 419 00:18:59,490 --> 00:19:01,090 If we must make it to the end, 420 00:19:01,750 --> 00:19:05,730 our accomplishment should never become our titles and 421 00:19:05,730 --> 00:19:07,580 positions and our abilities. 422 00:19:09,440 --> 00:19:13,700 Our whatever, nothing should become the reason for 423 00:19:13,700 --> 00:19:15,980 us to say, I'm going to do it 424 00:19:15,980 --> 00:19:16,240 now. 425 00:19:16,540 --> 00:19:18,660 It's going to be the weak, struggling people 426 00:19:18,660 --> 00:19:22,000 that continually depend on God will make it. 427 00:19:22,900 --> 00:19:24,380 As a matter of fact, I tell you, 428 00:19:24,500 --> 00:19:26,600 a lot of great people that I knew 429 00:19:26,600 --> 00:19:28,500 fell by the wayside, not because they fell 430 00:19:28,500 --> 00:19:31,160 in adultery or stole money or murdered someone. 431 00:19:31,500 --> 00:19:34,280 I can tell you, it happened 99% 432 00:19:34,280 --> 00:19:37,160 of the time, arrogance and pride and self 433 00:19:37,160 --> 00:19:38,060 -centeredness. 434 00:19:39,080 --> 00:19:41,740 And Abraham found that out very well that 435 00:19:41,740 --> 00:19:43,340 he must come back to God for everything 436 00:19:43,340 --> 00:19:44,180 and we know that. 437 00:19:44,180 --> 00:19:49,880 Number four, serve God with sacrifice. 438 00:19:51,540 --> 00:19:53,060 Leave everything you have. 439 00:19:53,260 --> 00:19:53,740 Yes, God. 440 00:19:55,120 --> 00:19:57,360 Finally, after God giving him his son, God 441 00:19:57,360 --> 00:19:59,380 said, Abraham, I want you to give up 442 00:19:59,380 --> 00:20:02,200 your son, the one you love, not Ishmael, 443 00:20:02,320 --> 00:20:03,020 but Isaac. 444 00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:06,620 And he didn't even tell his wife about 445 00:20:06,620 --> 00:20:06,940 it. 446 00:20:09,100 --> 00:20:11,340 And he chooses to do that. 447 00:20:11,520 --> 00:20:12,400 And you know the story. 448 00:20:12,740 --> 00:20:15,660 And he raises his knife to kill his 449 00:20:15,660 --> 00:20:15,920 son. 450 00:20:16,340 --> 00:20:20,020 And God says, Abraham, now I know you 451 00:20:20,020 --> 00:20:21,200 fear God. 452 00:20:22,160 --> 00:20:25,380 Not that you are a great, mighty leader 453 00:20:25,380 --> 00:20:27,760 and you can do great things. 454 00:20:27,960 --> 00:20:30,220 No, you now fear me. 455 00:20:30,380 --> 00:20:31,120 I know that. 456 00:20:32,960 --> 00:20:37,880 So, one thing we learn from this is 457 00:20:37,880 --> 00:20:38,160 this. 458 00:20:38,780 --> 00:20:40,300 There's no way we are going to finish 459 00:20:40,300 --> 00:20:44,360 the race without continuous sacrifice, whatever that is. 460 00:20:45,000 --> 00:20:48,040 Sacrifice to me is not something that you 461 00:20:48,040 --> 00:20:48,540 sacrifice. 462 00:20:48,800 --> 00:20:51,020 We all are different and the Lord asks 463 00:20:51,020 --> 00:20:52,420 us for different things in our life. 464 00:20:52,560 --> 00:20:55,520 Whatever we are holding onto it so dearly, 465 00:20:55,940 --> 00:20:57,740 sometimes the Lord says, would you just give 466 00:20:57,740 --> 00:20:59,560 it up or walk away. 467 00:20:59,560 --> 00:21:02,780 And without suffering on the cross, we will 468 00:21:02,780 --> 00:21:05,220 not fulfill the call anyway. 469 00:21:05,600 --> 00:21:06,680 Let me move fast. 470 00:21:09,040 --> 00:21:12,940 Maintaining a life of separation from negative influence 471 00:21:12,940 --> 00:21:16,140 is a must if we must make it 472 00:21:16,140 --> 00:21:17,320 to the finish line. 473 00:21:17,700 --> 00:21:18,600 That's number five. 474 00:21:20,720 --> 00:21:25,280 Lord was a close family member of Abraham. 475 00:21:26,400 --> 00:21:29,840 But a time came, Abraham had to make 476 00:21:29,840 --> 00:21:30,380 a choice. 477 00:21:31,260 --> 00:21:32,820 Am I going to hang on to him? 478 00:21:34,400 --> 00:21:35,420 He said, I can't. 479 00:21:35,580 --> 00:21:37,020 Abraham, you go that way and I go 480 00:21:37,020 --> 00:21:37,500 this way. 481 00:21:39,340 --> 00:21:42,920 If it's king or sodom or a family 482 00:21:42,920 --> 00:21:47,140 member of the Lord, Abraham must maintain his 483 00:21:47,140 --> 00:21:51,460 aloneness, his private walk with God, his separation 484 00:21:51,460 --> 00:21:53,500 from negative influence. 485 00:21:56,580 --> 00:22:00,940 I can actually spend another 10 hours talking 486 00:22:00,940 --> 00:22:01,360 to you. 487 00:22:01,980 --> 00:22:05,340 There's nothing more dangerous in your walk with 488 00:22:05,340 --> 00:22:07,780 God than the telephone calls you receive from 489 00:22:07,780 --> 00:22:09,920 people that want to be nice to you. 490 00:22:09,920 --> 00:22:13,060 The emails you receive and the time you 491 00:22:13,060 --> 00:22:16,020 are so enticed and gravitating towards that individual 492 00:22:16,020 --> 00:22:18,800 or individuals because they say the things you 493 00:22:18,800 --> 00:22:21,140 want to hear but they are not seeking 494 00:22:21,140 --> 00:22:21,880 your best. 495 00:22:22,960 --> 00:22:26,260 Even among Christians, even among believers. 496 00:22:27,860 --> 00:22:30,120 And that's the reason why you must become 497 00:22:30,120 --> 00:22:34,040 your own enemy and your feelings and emotions 498 00:22:34,040 --> 00:22:36,720 to choose people that would be honest with 499 00:22:36,720 --> 00:22:38,220 you and say, look, I don't think this 500 00:22:38,220 --> 00:22:39,580 is the right thing you are thinking. 501 00:22:39,840 --> 00:22:41,080 This is not the right thing. 502 00:22:41,940 --> 00:22:45,200 And unless you make some choices to say 503 00:22:45,200 --> 00:22:46,420 goodbye to some friends. 504 00:22:48,200 --> 00:22:49,940 There are, you know, in my own life 505 00:22:49,940 --> 00:22:52,080 experience, I can tell you, this is, I 506 00:22:52,080 --> 00:22:54,040 won't say names, there are some times in 507 00:22:54,040 --> 00:22:56,340 my life I made a decision, I will 508 00:22:56,340 --> 00:22:58,280 not want to talk to that individual, I 509 00:22:58,280 --> 00:22:59,820 will not want to keep friendship with them. 510 00:23:01,640 --> 00:23:03,160 As a matter of fact, today on the 511 00:23:03,160 --> 00:23:04,880 telephone, I told one of my senior leaders, 512 00:23:05,040 --> 00:23:06,480 I said, would you give this instruction to 513 00:23:06,480 --> 00:23:07,020 so and so? 514 00:23:07,900 --> 00:23:11,260 I'm talking about one individual who is in 515 00:23:11,260 --> 00:23:14,500 senior leadership of our ministry overseas, who seems 516 00:23:14,500 --> 00:23:15,120 to be sliding. 517 00:23:15,900 --> 00:23:19,900 And through few dialogues and discussions, I found 518 00:23:19,900 --> 00:23:21,920 out one of the key reason is that 519 00:23:21,920 --> 00:23:26,160 individual maintaining a continuous telephonic conversation with another 520 00:23:26,160 --> 00:23:26,480 brother. 521 00:23:26,600 --> 00:23:27,400 These are two brothers. 522 00:23:27,400 --> 00:23:31,080 But one influences the other, and they both 523 00:23:31,080 --> 00:23:32,000 are sliding away. 524 00:23:32,360 --> 00:23:34,480 And I said, this is an order from 525 00:23:34,480 --> 00:23:35,080 his leader. 526 00:23:35,600 --> 00:23:39,800 He must not continue this telephone relationship and 527 00:23:39,800 --> 00:23:41,460 conversation, cut it off. 528 00:23:42,180 --> 00:23:44,120 And I will talk to you later a 529 00:23:44,120 --> 00:23:44,980 month or so. 530 00:23:44,980 --> 00:23:46,280 That's the instruction I gave. 531 00:23:46,680 --> 00:23:48,740 Well, for your ears, maybe it is a 532 00:23:48,740 --> 00:23:50,280 tough thing to hear, because the culture is 533 00:23:50,280 --> 00:23:50,820 different maybe. 534 00:23:51,240 --> 00:23:52,900 But I'm telling you, I'm more concerned about 535 00:23:52,900 --> 00:23:55,420 sustaining my brothers and sisters in the ministry, 536 00:23:55,540 --> 00:23:57,360 when I know there is a problem, I 537 00:23:57,360 --> 00:23:58,520 have to say, this is the end of 538 00:23:58,520 --> 00:24:00,020 the journey for you, don't do it anymore. 539 00:24:00,020 --> 00:24:02,880 If he disobey me, that is his problem. 540 00:24:03,620 --> 00:24:05,880 But I'm telling you, in your life, ask 541 00:24:05,880 --> 00:24:10,880 the question, are your heart burning with the 542 00:24:10,880 --> 00:24:14,400 fire and intensity, the blue flame, as it 543 00:24:14,400 --> 00:24:17,940 was some years ago, year ago, six months 544 00:24:17,940 --> 00:24:18,280 ago? 545 00:24:18,280 --> 00:24:20,020 And ask the question, what happened? 546 00:24:20,780 --> 00:24:21,620 Then ask the Lord. 547 00:24:21,760 --> 00:24:24,280 Most probably you'll find it's some friendship, some 548 00:24:24,280 --> 00:24:24,920 association. 549 00:24:25,460 --> 00:24:27,800 I ask you to be careful. 550 00:24:48,280 --> 00:24:51,160 I assure you, you will not survive spiritually. 551 00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:54,760 That is one thing I can underline a 552 00:24:54,760 --> 00:24:57,020 thousand times, you will not, I will not 553 00:24:57,020 --> 00:24:57,480 make it. 554 00:24:58,440 --> 00:25:00,260 And Abraham had to do that on a 555 00:25:00,260 --> 00:25:01,000 daily basis. 556 00:25:01,000 --> 00:25:02,080 Number seven. 557 00:25:03,200 --> 00:25:04,800 The last one, I can't believe I'm doing 558 00:25:04,800 --> 00:25:05,040 it. 559 00:25:05,860 --> 00:25:10,720 He knew, he knew that the finish line 560 00:25:10,720 --> 00:25:12,900 is not that far away. 561 00:25:14,380 --> 00:25:17,860 He considered himself as a pilgrim and stranger 562 00:25:17,860 --> 00:25:18,700 on this earth. 563 00:25:18,980 --> 00:25:21,040 Hebrews, he looked for a city that has 564 00:25:21,040 --> 00:25:23,020 foundations, the builder and maker is God. 565 00:25:23,020 --> 00:25:25,920 Therefore, he was not attached to the material 566 00:25:25,920 --> 00:25:28,120 things, all the stuff around him. 567 00:25:28,220 --> 00:25:29,840 He was least worried about it. 568 00:25:29,860 --> 00:25:30,020 Why? 569 00:25:30,300 --> 00:25:34,220 He fixed his eyes on eternity. 570 00:25:37,200 --> 00:25:39,720 I said this story the other day when 571 00:25:39,720 --> 00:25:40,640 I was speaking in Tucson. 572 00:25:41,780 --> 00:25:43,160 It was yesterday. 573 00:25:44,800 --> 00:25:48,580 It was kind of really yesterday when the 574 00:25:48,580 --> 00:25:50,380 Lord called me to leave my home, my 575 00:25:50,380 --> 00:25:53,220 parents, go to North India 2,000 miles 576 00:25:53,220 --> 00:25:54,820 away to serve him. 577 00:25:56,820 --> 00:25:58,960 Really, kind of yesterday. 578 00:25:59,700 --> 00:26:03,420 One of the earlier experiences I had in 579 00:26:03,420 --> 00:26:07,120 America in 1974 when I was watching this 580 00:26:07,120 --> 00:26:09,520 television, there was one guy, I really liked 581 00:26:09,520 --> 00:26:10,520 him a lot on television. 582 00:26:11,080 --> 00:26:12,560 His name is George Burns. 583 00:26:12,860 --> 00:26:13,680 Anybody remember him? 584 00:26:14,300 --> 00:26:16,500 You know the old man who played God? 585 00:26:17,180 --> 00:26:19,160 And he had this cigar in his mouth, 586 00:26:19,300 --> 00:26:21,040 you know, he smokes, I mean all these 587 00:26:21,040 --> 00:26:22,460 things coming out of him. 588 00:26:22,920 --> 00:26:25,140 But when he goes off on his show, 589 00:26:25,220 --> 00:26:28,780 he sings this song, I wish I was 590 00:26:28,780 --> 00:26:29,920 18 again. 591 00:26:30,760 --> 00:26:31,420 Remember that? 592 00:26:31,420 --> 00:26:33,700 Chris Brewer is trying to say yes. 593 00:26:33,880 --> 00:26:34,740 You are old enough. 594 00:26:37,300 --> 00:26:40,560 I mean, 85 year old man singing, I 595 00:26:40,560 --> 00:26:43,000 wish I was 18 again. 596 00:26:43,860 --> 00:26:45,000 You know, it's strange. 597 00:26:46,280 --> 00:26:48,920 To me, yesterday, I was 18. 598 00:26:49,920 --> 00:26:51,400 Today, I'm 60. 599 00:26:52,600 --> 00:26:57,180 And I said to myself, whatever happened to 600 00:26:57,180 --> 00:26:59,900 time, I just don't know. 601 00:27:00,880 --> 00:27:02,400 It's just like a second. 602 00:27:03,940 --> 00:27:08,720 How dumb and foolish we are to think 603 00:27:08,720 --> 00:27:10,820 that we are here forever. 604 00:27:11,980 --> 00:27:15,320 We act and behave as though this is 605 00:27:15,320 --> 00:27:15,560 it. 606 00:27:16,540 --> 00:27:17,980 Look at your driver's license. 607 00:27:19,780 --> 00:27:22,020 Look at pictures, you know, when kids get 608 00:27:22,020 --> 00:27:23,900 old, you know, married, you know, like Terry, 609 00:27:24,300 --> 00:27:27,380 John's daughter, they showed all the pictures of, 610 00:27:27,900 --> 00:27:31,300 you know, little baby crawling and playing with 611 00:27:31,300 --> 00:27:32,180 toys and all those things. 612 00:27:32,280 --> 00:27:33,960 The next thing you know, she's sitting there 613 00:27:33,960 --> 00:27:34,480 getting married. 614 00:27:35,460 --> 00:27:36,940 What happened to the time? 615 00:27:38,360 --> 00:27:42,980 And Abraham somehow knew, it's not worth wasting 616 00:27:42,980 --> 00:27:43,760 my life here. 617 00:27:45,340 --> 00:27:47,740 And I pray that you and I will 618 00:27:47,740 --> 00:27:52,020 consider the end of many lives that we 619 00:27:52,020 --> 00:27:53,200 heard read about. 620 00:27:53,800 --> 00:27:57,660 May our hearts be encouraged with someone like 621 00:27:57,660 --> 00:28:01,500 Abraham and run the race that we may 622 00:28:01,500 --> 00:28:02,180 finish well. 623 00:28:04,480 --> 00:28:05,060 Let us pray. 624 00:28:07,960 --> 00:28:10,180 Dear Jesus, we want to thank you for 625 00:28:10,180 --> 00:28:12,920 this evening that you gave us. 626 00:28:14,120 --> 00:28:19,740 Just as you promised Abraham, nations, Lord, you 627 00:28:19,740 --> 00:28:22,180 promised us, I'll give you nations. 628 00:28:24,820 --> 00:28:27,700 Multiplied millions in our generation, Lord. 629 00:28:29,380 --> 00:28:31,400 We are looking to us, each one of 630 00:28:31,400 --> 00:28:34,180 us, that we may run the race and 631 00:28:34,180 --> 00:28:37,480 remain faithful to you with our time, resources, 632 00:28:38,340 --> 00:28:42,460 our energies, our opportunities, our talents, that somehow, 633 00:28:42,720 --> 00:28:45,240 Lord, you can continue to fulfill the promise 634 00:28:45,240 --> 00:28:47,240 that you gave to Abraham. 635 00:28:47,240 --> 00:28:52,540 That through us, you find ways to touch 636 00:28:52,540 --> 00:28:55,520 the lives of others and call them to 637 00:28:55,520 --> 00:28:56,200 be yours. 638 00:28:58,800 --> 00:29:02,540 Lord, lead us tonight as we spend time 639 00:29:02,540 --> 00:29:03,060 with you. 640 00:29:03,380 --> 00:29:04,980 And may our hearts be touched by you, 641 00:29:05,080 --> 00:29:05,340 O Lord. 642 00:29:05,820 --> 00:29:07,920 In Christ's name, Amen. 643 00:29:10,260 --> 00:29:11,060 All right. 644 00:29:11,540 --> 00:29:15,000 We are going to have time of sharing 645 00:29:15,000 --> 00:29:15,860 and prayer request. 646 00:29:16,220 --> 00:29:19,140 And those of you at home or wherever 647 00:29:19,140 --> 00:29:21,380 you are, thank you for joining us again. 648 00:29:21,520 --> 00:29:24,360 And we'll continue to have the prayer meeting. 649 00:29:24,440 --> 00:29:25,680 And again, we are going to share prayer 650 00:29:25,680 --> 00:29:26,780 request that John mentioned. 651 00:29:27,280 --> 00:29:29,400 And divide the small groups and pray right 652 00:29:29,400 --> 00:29:31,460 there in your home or wherever you are. 653 00:29:31,560 --> 00:29:34,140 Join us in prayer for the prayer request 654 00:29:34,140 --> 00:29:35,200 that we are going to be just now 655 00:29:35,200 --> 00:29:36,440 sharing and talking about. 656 00:29:37,120 --> 00:29:37,660 God bless you. 657 00:29:38,780 --> 00:29:40,580 You've been listening to the From the Pulpit 658 00:29:40,580 --> 00:29:41,760 in Classic Sermons series. 659 00:29:42,440 --> 00:29:44,540 This week you heard K.P. Yohannan with 660 00:29:44,540 --> 00:29:46,640 his message, Run the Race Like Abraham. 661 00:29:47,320 --> 00:29:48,780 Tune in next week to hear Roy Heston 662 00:29:48,780 --> 00:29:52,360 speak about dryness on From the Pulpit in 663 00:29:52,360 --> 00:29:53,220 Classic Sermons.