Participants: Carlton P. Byrd
Series Code: 16SCM
Program Code: 16SCM000008S
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00:51 Welcome to 3ABN's Spring Camp Meeting:
00:57 Live from the 3ABN Worship Center. 01:02 Good evening and welcome once again to the Thompsonville SDA 01:06 church/3ABN Worship Center/Spring Camp Meeting 01:11 2016. It is so good to have you here 01:15 in this house. And those of you who are watching 01:16 around the world we welcome you to what has begun to be 01:20 a truly God-filled, God-blessed experience 01:25 with the Lord. We have had some powerful sermons 01:28 from the Word of God, and we expect no less than that 01:31 this very very evening. So again we say welcome to you all: 01:34 to those of you who have traveled from near and from far, 01:37 from states near and far, and some have even 01:40 come from outside of the hemis- phere, outside of the country, 01:44 outside of this part of the earth. 01:46 We've got people here all the way from Australia. 01:49 So we praise the Lord that God has given everyone thus far 01:52 safe journey, and we are so happy to have you here. 01:56 Tonight is going to be a very special night indeed. 01:58 Our speaker is Dr. Carlton Byrd. 02:02 Now what I say to you now I say in all sincerity. 02:05 We need to pray for that very select group of individuals, 02:09 that very small fraternity of pastors, 02:12 who have been called to pastor our young people on the college 02:16 and university campuses across this earth. 02:20 These pastors - Dr. Byrd being one at the Oakwood University 02:23 church - have been given direct access to the minds 02:27 and hearts of the young people that we send to those colleges. 02:30 And as such they do deserve an interest in our prayers. 02:34 And what I say now I say advisedly, but pastors like 02:37 Dr. Byrd have the ability to directly inject into the 02:42 spiritual veins of the young people who sit in front of them 02:45 each Sabbath whatever they are infected with. 02:48 Are you listening to me? 02:49 Be it good or ill they have direct access 02:53 to our young people. So we need to pray for them 02:56 that their words will be God's words, 03:00 their thoughts will be God's thoughts, 03:02 and that the things that they transport into the minds 03:05 and hearts of the young people are the things that God 03:08 wants them to have and nothing else. 03:11 Now I've heard Pastor Byrd speak a number of times. 03:13 He's a godly man; he's a spiritual man. 03:15 He's a straight shooter and a straight preacher of 03:18 righteousness. But that doesn't mean we can sleep on him. 03:21 We've got to pray for him, too, 03:22 as we pray for all of these pastors 03:24 because God has given them a very special responsibility 03:27 in training up our young people to be solid citizens 03:30 of this world as they prepare for the higher citizenship 03:34 which is in the world to come. 03:36 Along with his portfolio as pastor of the Oakwood University 03:40 church he also is the speaker/director 03:45 of the Breath of Life telecast. 03:47 So he has a double responsi- bility to lift up the name 03:51 of Jesus. And God has given him the strength and the mind 03:54 and the ability to do just that. 03:57 He's going to be speaking to us this night, and we are very very 04:00 pleased to have Dr. Carlton Byrd here with us. 04:03 He is the husband of one wife - Danielle - 04:06 and the father of 3 children. 04:10 So he is a busy fellow on many many fronts. 04:13 And we are so happy that he has taken time... He's actually 04:16 in an evangelistic meeting even as we speak. 04:19 And the one night he has off which is Thursday night 04:21 he traveled here to southern Illinois to speak to us. 04:25 So we want to thank him for that... 04:26 but he's got to get back 'cause tomorrow night 04:28 he's in the saddle again preaching for Jesus Christ. 04:32 Before Dr. Byrd comes and speaks to us 04:34 on the subject The Golden Altar of Incense 04:39 we're going to ask Yvonne Lewis to come forward. 04:42 She and Tim Parton have joined together 04:44 in just a little bit to sing a song that I am not familiar 04:49 with... but I'm anxious to hear her sing. 04:52 It's called The Body and the Blood. 04:54 I'm going to ask you to bow your heads with me 04:56 as we pray. And then Dr. Yvonne Lewis and Tim Parton 05:00 followed by Dr. Carlton Byrd. 05:03 Shall we pray. Father God, how we praise You, 05:06 how we thank You, how we love You, 05:07 how we bless Your name. We thank you for this 05:10 Camp Meeting experience. 05:12 We thank Thee that through Your messenger You have said 05:15 that there are special blessings reserved for the Camp Meeting 05:19 season. Dear Lord, be pleased 05:22 to give us some of those blessings this very night. 05:26 Teach us those things that You would have us to know 05:30 and then embolden and enable us to do them 05:34 because it is in the doing that we are make like Christ Jesus. 05:37 Use Your manservant in a marked way this night. 05:40 And we will give You the honor, the praise, and the glory. 05:43 And we thank you, dear Father, in Jesus' name. Amen and Amen. 06:04 Fifty years ago today 06:08 she gave her only child away 06:12 to live a life easy to regret. 06:20 Years went by... how time has flown. 06:24 Her days are mostly spent alone 06:28 daring to remember... 06:32 hoping to forget. 06:45 This is My body 06:49 broken for you 06:54 For all you've been 06:57 and all you've been through. 07:02 This is My blood 07:06 And when you've reached the end 07:13 I offer you again 07:17 the body and blood. 07:34 He fought a war against his will; 07:39 Truth be known, he's fighting still. 07:43 He looks for hope through narrow blood-shot eyes. 07:50 He slips into a polished pew, 07:55 lingers for an hour or two. 08:00 Sometimes it feels better 08:03 to sit and cry a while. 08:12 This is My body 08:16 broken for you. 08:20 For all you've been 08:24 and all you've been through. 08:29 This is My blood 08:33 And when you've reached 08:37 the end 08:40 I offer you again 08:43 the body and blood. 08:49 One by one we take 08:52 communion's cup 08:57 we remember 09:01 and we lift it up. 09:07 This is My body 09:11 broken for you. 09:16 For all you've been 09:19 and all you've been through. 09:25 This is My blood 09:29 And when you've reached the end 09:35 I offer you again 09:39 the body and blood. 09:44 This is My blood 09:49 And when you've reached 09:52 your end 09:55 I'll offer you again 09:59 the body and 10:03 blood. 10:23 Amen! 10:32 I want to thank Sr. Yvonne Lewis for that 10:35 beautiful selection. Let's give her another hearty amen. 10:38 Amen! It's a joy for me to be here 10:41 with the 3ABN family for 3ABN Camp Meeting. 10:45 I was here a couple of years ago. 10:46 It's always good to know you've been invited back because 10:50 that means you must have done well the first time 10:52 you were here. So it's good to be back with the 3ABN family. 10:56 Our founder, Bro. Danny Shelton. I thank Pastor C.A. Murray 11:00 for the wonderful and the kind introduction this evening. 11:04 Our encampment this year: Christ, Calvary, 11:08 and the Sanctuary. My assignment that I've been 11:12 given this evening is on the golden altar of incense. 11:17 If your Bibles are with you this evening, I invite you 11:19 to take them and turn to the book of Exodus. 11:22 We're going to the book of Exodus chapter 30 11:26 and we're going to begin reading with verse number one. 11:29 Exodus chapter 30 and we're going to begin reading 11:34 with verse number one 11:38 as we study tonight the golden altar of incense. 11:44 The Word of God says to us in the book of Exodus 11:46 chapter 30 verse number one, and I'm reading: 11:49 "Thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon. 11:53 Of shittim wood shalt thou make it. " 11:56 Verse 2: "A cubit shall be the length thereof 11:59 and a cubit the breadth thereof. 12:02 Foursquare shall it be 12:04 and two cubits shall be the height thereof. 12:07 The horns thereof shall be of the same. 12:10 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold: 12:13 the top thereof and the sides thereof, 12:15 round about and the horns thereof. 12:17 And thou shalt make unto it a crown of gold round about. 12:22 And two golden rings shalt thou make to it under the crown of it 12:26 by the two corners thereof upon the two sides of it 12:30 shalt thou make it. 12:31 And they shall be for places for the staves 12:34 to bear it withal. 12:36 And thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood 12:39 and overlay them with gold. 12:42 Thou shalt put it before the veil that is by the ark of the 12:46 testimony before the mercy seat 12:48 that is over the testimony where I will meet with thee. 12:54 And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense 12:57 every morning; when he dresses the lamps 13:00 he shall burn incense upon it. 13:03 And when Aaron lighteth the lamps in the evening 13:05 he shall burn incense upon it... a perpetual incense 13:10 before the Lord throughout your generations. 13:13 Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon 13:16 nor burnt sacrifice nor meat offering. 13:20 Neither shall ye pour drink offering thereon. " 13:24 Verse number 10: 13:26 "And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it 13:30 once in a year, with the blood of the sin offering 13:33 of atonements. Once in a year shall he make atonement upon it 13:38 throughout your generations 13:40 because it is most holy unto the Lord. " 13:45 Can you say amen tonight? Amen! 13:48 Before we share with you let's talk with God. 13:52 Our Father in heaven, tonight on this most important 13:55 subject we pray for the power of Your Holy Spirit 13:59 to dwell with us as Lord we preach on the golden altar 14:04 of incense. 14:05 God tonight we thank you for Jesus Christ; 14:08 we thank you for Calvary; 14:11 and we thank you for the sanctuary. 14:14 Now forgive me of my sins because, Lord, I'm not worthy 14:17 to stand here tonight. But because of Your grace 14:20 and because of Your mercy, God, you allow this unworthy 14:24 soul to stand in this place tonight. 14:26 Forgive me of my sins; hide me behind Your cross. 14:30 It's in Jesus' name we pray, let everyone say Amen and Amen. 14:36 The golden altar of incense. 14:40 From the outset let's be reminded tonight 14:43 of the purpose of the Old Testament sanctuary. 14:46 The sanctuary was the place where the sinner received 14:50 forgiveness from sin. 14:53 Now if we don't get anything else, let's make sure we get 14:56 that. As a sinner that's important to me. 15:00 As a sinner, that should also be important to you: 15:04 that the sanctuary was the place where the sinner 15:08 received forgiveness from sin. 15:11 But the sanctuary was just a foreshadow of things to come 15:14 because the good news is when Jesus came, 15:18 when the Lamb of God sacrificed His life for our sins, 15:22 there was no more need for the earthly sanctuary sacrifices. 15:27 Jesus came and Jesus died for our sins. 15:30 Behold then the Lamb of God 15:33 which taketh away the sins of the world. Amen! 15:36 Now remember, the earthly sanctuary 15:39 had three sections. How many sections everybody? 15:42 Three. Three sections: 15:44 the courtyard, the Holy Place, and the Most Holy Place. 15:48 Each section represented the different parts 15:52 of Jesus' ministry. Now, the courtyard 15:55 pointed to the perfect death of Jesus on Calvary's cross. 16:00 In His death Jesus became the sinner's sacrifice. 16:05 Jesus became the Lamb of God. 16:08 No longer did people need to offer a lamb to God 16:11 when they sinned because Jesus, He died for our sins. 16:16 The Holy Place symbolized Christ's work of perfect 16:21 righteousness. Christ then not only bled for us on the cross 16:25 as the sacrifice for our sins 16:27 but Christ also pleads and intercedes for us 16:32 before the heavenly throne. 16:34 Jesus the Christ is our Advocate to the Father. 16:38 His perfect life is added as precious incense 16:42 to the prayers of the saints as these prayers ascend on up 16:46 to heaven. And then the Most Holy Place, 16:50 the third section. It represented the entire 16:54 cleansing of the same sinner and the sanctuary. 16:57 It represented where the sins of God's people 17:01 would be cleansed once per year. 17:04 Now I won't spend too much time on the Most Holy Place tonight 17:09 because you have to keep coming to Camp Meeting. 17:11 You have to keep watching Camp Meeting to see and hear 17:14 what this cleansing is all about. 17:15 So if I tell you about the Most Holy Place tonight 17:18 you may not watch or come back later. 17:21 So there must be a cliff hanger. Are you hearing what I'm saying? 17:24 Now, in the first two sections or compartments 17:29 of the sanctuary, the courtyard or the Holy Place - 17:33 and the Holy Place - there were five pieces of furniture. 17:38 Two pieces in the courtyard 17:40 and three pieces in the Holy Place. 17:43 In the Holy Place the two pieces of furniture 17:47 in the Holy Place were the table of showbread, 17:51 the seven-branch candlestick and the third piece: 17:54 the golden altar of incense. 17:56 So in the Holy Place three pieces of furniture. 18:00 Again: the table of showbread, the seven-branch candlestick, 18:04 and the golden altar of incense. 18:06 In the courtyard there were two pieces of furniture. 18:10 The 2 pieces were the laver and the altar of burnt offerings. 18:14 Now, in each of these five pieces of furniture - 18:18 two in the courtyard, three in the Holy Place - 18:22 we see Jesus as recorded in the gospel of John. 18:26 In the altar of burnt offering in the courtyard 18:28 we see Jesus, the Lamb of God, in John chapter 1. 18:32 In the courtyard in the laver we see Jesus 18:36 the Water of Life in John chapter 4. 18:39 In the Holy Place in the table of showbread 18:42 we see Jesus, the Bread of Life, in John chapter 6. 18:47 Also in the Holy Place in the seven-branch candlestick 18:50 we see Jesus, the Light of the World, in John chapter 9. 18:55 And then finally also in the Holy Place 18:58 in the golden altar of incense we see Jesus - 19:01 the great High Priestly prayer in John chapter 17. 19:06 Which means then for every piece of furniture we see Jesus. 19:12 Notice also with these two compartments we have two altars. 19:16 One is outdoors in the courtyard 19:19 and one is indoors in the Holy Place. 19:22 One is brass... the other is gold. 19:27 The outdoor one has no crown but the indoor one does. 19:32 Outside we see Christ in humiliation 19:36 but inside we see Christ in exultation. 19:39 Outside we see what Jesus did on this earth 19:43 but inside we see what Jesus is doing right now in heaven: 19:47 living and making intercession for each and every one of us. 19:51 But my assignment is the golden altar of incense 19:55 which is in the Holy Place - that's right - 19:59 which was different from the altar of burnt offerings 20:02 in that there were no sacrifices made on it. 20:05 But the golden altar of incense symbolized prayer. 20:11 In fact, the main emphasis of this piece of furniture 20:16 was prayer. Everybody say prayer. Prayer. 20:20 Now, the prayer emphasis was reflected in every aspect 20:26 of this altar. Now let's first talk about the golden altar's 20:30 construction and emphasis on prayer. 20:33 This altar was constructed or made of acacia wood. 20:38 Acacia wood was incorruptible. 20:41 Solid... it was without hollowness. 20:44 If it was submerged in water, acacia wood would not rot. 20:49 Acacia wood was durable. 20:52 Symbolically then for our prayers to be effective 20:55 they must come from the hearts of those that are solid... 20:58 without hollowness. And just like the acacia wood 21:02 was incorruptible Jesus is incorruptible. Amen! 21:06 Jesus is perfect; Jesus is the One who intercedes 21:10 for us who stands between God and us 21:14 and makes us acceptable to God. 21:16 The intercession of Christ is not corrupt in any way. 21:21 The intercession of Christ is perfect. 21:24 Jesus died and then Jesus rose from the dead 21:28 for us for this very purpose: 21:30 to stand before God as the great Intercessor for us. 21:36 Jesus intercedes for sinners. 21:39 Jesus intercedes for weak believers. 21:43 Jesus... He also intercedes for strong believers. 21:47 Jesus... He also intercedes for His enemies. 21:51 Jesus intercedes for the church. 21:55 Jesus intercedes for God to accept us. 21:59 Jesus intercedes for our salvation 22:02 and Jesus intercedes for the Holy Spirit 22:06 to dwell and abide with us. 22:09 Secondly tonight, let's consider the altar's measurements 22:14 and let's consider their emphasis on prayer. 22:18 Like other altars the golden altar measured 22:23 one cubit long, one cubit broad, and two cubits high. 22:29 The altar of incense, then, was the tallest piece of furniture 22:34 in the tabernacle tent. Perhaps this was to let us know 22:38 of the tall and high importance of prayer. 22:41 The golden altar of incense was foursquare 22:46 which means it was perfectly square 22:49 just as the brazen altar and the room of the Most Holy Place. 22:53 Our God, we realize, is a God of order. 22:57 Our God is a God of specifics. 22:59 Our God is a God of perfection. 23:02 Even the New Jerusalem as recorded in Revelation 21:16 23:06 is described as being "a city of foursquare. " 23:10 And the fact that the altar of incense was foursquare 23:13 is a reminder to each and every one of us 23:16 that we are to spread the message of Jesus' intercession 23:21 to the four corners of the globe: 23:23 to the north; to the south; to the east; and to the west. 23:29 And prayer is the universal language to spread the gospel. 23:33 But not only the construction, 23:35 not only the measurements of the altar of incense, 23:38 but it should also be noted that the altar of incense 23:41 was overlaid with gold. That's right! 23:44 Throughout the Bible, gold is used as a way to show that 23:48 there is something greater. 23:50 God has always symbolized... gold rather, 23:53 has always symbolized wealth and monetary gain. 23:57 In Biblical times it was no different. 23:59 Wealth and monetary gain. 24:02 The most precious, then, and most valuable of all metals 24:05 was God's choice for the building of this altar 24:08 of intercession. Remember, gold is a symbol of Deity... 24:13 a symbol of the most precious possession. 24:16 Most precious possession of God Himself. 24:19 So then the golden altar of incense 24:23 points to the Lord Jesus Christ 24:25 who is the most precious possession a person can have. 24:30 Jesus is the perfect Intercessor: 24:33 the One who lives forever to make intercession. 24:37 The One who passionately prays for the people of God. 24:40 The One who prays for you and He prays for me. 24:44 This alluding to Jesus with gold, friends, is important 24:48 because while gold is most valuable 24:52 nobody can buy their way into heaven with gold. 24:57 The only way to heaven 25:00 according to the Word of God 25:02 is by accepting Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord. 25:08 My Bible says in Acts 4 verse number 12 25:11 that there is no other name under heaven given among men 25:14 whereby we can be saved but the name of Jesus. 25:19 Gold speaks of purity. 25:22 Genuine prayer that will touch the heart of God 25:25 must come from a sinless, pure heart. 25:28 Now this altar could not be made of any old material 25:33 laying around. 25:35 A piece of driftwood was not good enough. 25:37 Some old rocks that had been discarded from a field 25:40 was not good enough. Neither can we come to God 25:44 in prayer with insincere hearts, 25:47 hearts full of sin, or hearts full of unbelief. 25:51 But friends it wasn't just the construction. 25:54 It wasn't just the measurements. 25:56 It wasn't just the gold overlay that pointed to prayer. 26:00 But it was also the location of the altar that pointed 26:04 to prayer. The altar was placed in the Holy Place. 26:09 It was separated by the Most Holy Place 26:12 by a great veil. Now we don't know how close 26:16 to the veil the altar was specifically placed. 26:19 We don't know... but what we DO know is 26:22 that the altar was just outside the curtain 26:26 which means it was very close to the presence of God. 26:31 Hallelujah somebody. That this is the great blessing 26:35 of intercessory prayer. That intercessory prayer 26:39 is close to the veil. 26:42 Intercessory prayer is close to the throne of God. 26:46 Intercessory prayer is close to the glory of God. 26:50 It is close, my friends, to the place where God's 26:53 eternal mercy and grace reside. 26:57 It is close to the door of answered prayer 27:01 and it's close to the most intimate fellowship 27:04 and communion with God imaginable. 27:07 The one thing we are to seek above all else 27:09 is to be near God. Amen! 27:12 To be near God. Just to be close to the Lord... 27:16 that is my desire. Amen! 27:19 You can kind of think of the golden altar of incense 27:21 as a piece of furniture standing before the veil 27:25 like we use an electric plug in a wall socket 27:29 to tap the electric power behind the wall. 27:32 Behind the veil of the tabernacle was the Shekinah 27:36 glory of the presence of the Lord. 27:38 By putting in the plug of prayer with the hand of faith 27:41 we are able to tap those resources, and we find 27:45 that prayer changes things. Glory hallelujah! 27:48 Prayer brings us into fellowship with God. 27:51 Prayer brings us into the presence of God. 27:55 Prayer... by prayer we become partakers 27:58 of all God offers and we can obtain grace 28:01 and mercy daily. Amen! 28:04 God: He answers prayer. 28:07 Let me say that one more time. 28:09 God answers prayer - Amen - when we face severe problems. 28:14 When we face trials or crisis God answers prayer. 28:19 When we face temptation and trouble 28:22 God answers prayer. When we face disease; 28:26 when we face sickness; when we face accidents. 28:29 I'm a witness that God answers prayer. 28:31 When we face pain and suffering and terminal illness 28:35 or death God answers prayer. 28:38 When we face the most difficult times in our lives; 28:41 when we pray; when we cry out to God from the depths 28:45 of our hearts I'm so glad tonight to say 28:48 that God hears us and He answers our prayers. 28:52 The veil that had once separated the altar of incense 28:56 and the ark of God's presence 28:59 was torn down. Torn from top to bottom 29:04 by God Himself. 29:06 God ripped it open through the death of His Son Jesus Christ. 29:11 So the way into God's presence is now open. 29:15 We are now invited to boldly come to God and worship God 29:20 at the throne of grace. 29:22 I like what the writer of Hebrews says in Hebrews 29:24 chapter 4 verse number 16. 29:26 "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace 29:30 that we may obtain mercy 29:33 and find grace in time of need. " Hallelujah somebody. 29:37 But then the horns of the altar. 29:40 They remind us of the power of prayer. 29:44 Horns are symbols of power, 29:47 and from the altar of God comes power 29:50 to make us more than a conqueror. 29:53 Power to help us in times of temptation. 29:57 Power to deliver us through all trials... no matter 30:00 how bad they are. Our prayers are full tonight of power. 30:06 When we say: "Let us pray" we must remember 30:10 when we pray with a pure heart offering no strange incense 30:14 and resting upon the atoning power of Christ 30:17 God will then show us His glory, 30:20 He will bless us with His gifts, 30:22 and He will fill us with His power. Amen! 30:25 But then now finally: the incense of the golden altar. 30:30 The sweet incense is suggestive 30:34 of the sweetness of prayer. 30:37 Not only is prayer sweet to God 30:40 but prayer is sweet to us as well. 30:43 Do I have a witness in this place? 30:45 Our prayers become a fragrant perfume to the golden censors. 30:49 The offering of incense was accompanied by the lighting 30:54 of lamps. This suggests that we get light from our prayers. 31:00 That has to be true because the Bible says 31:02 "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet 31:04 and a light unto my path. " 31:07 But while the Word of God is a lamp to guide our footsteps 31:11 we can only gain that light when we pray! 31:15 Incense was made of very sweet smelling and precious spices. 31:21 According to divine direction as recorded in Exodus 30 31:25 verse number 34 a similar compound for any other purpose 31:28 was not allowed to be made. 31:30 When the incense was to be offered 31:33 a fire pan or a censor with live coals from the brazen altar 31:39 was put upon the golden altar for burning. 31:42 The clouds of smoke rising from it were full of perfume 31:47 and they spread the fragrance all around penetrating the veil 31:50 and reaching even to the throne. 31:51 The priest, while he presented this offering, 31:55 was the people's intercessor with God. 31:58 He was praying for them and he was asking God to hear 32:02 and answer their petitions. 32:04 Not that incense has some "bloody" significance 32:08 because only the animal sacrifices had that. 32:12 Without sacrificial blood there is no access to God. 32:18 But then the horns of the altar 32:20 were sprinkled with atoning blood. 32:23 And so then it was from a blood-sprinkled altar 32:27 that the sacred odors, the sacred aroma arose 32:32 bearing on their wings Israel's cry 32:35 for mercy and much-needed blessings. 32:39 The incense burned continuously. 32:43 The incense didn't stop burning. 32:46 It burned incessantly. 32:49 Sweet incense was offered up to the Lord every morning, 32:53 every evening. According to Exodus chapter 30 32:56 the high priest burned incense every morning when he tended 33:00 the lamps and every evening when he lit them. 33:03 This symbolized the critical importance of praying every 33:05 morning and evening. The altar of incense 33:09 was to be the place where a permanent incense ascended up 33:13 to the Lord. The incense would burn perpetually 33:17 "before the Lord" verse 10 says "throughout their generations. " 33:21 This continual burning teaches us that day by day 33:26 we are to come to the Lord. And we are coming to the Lord 33:30 in prayer. We are to come to the Lord morning 33:35 and evening... which brings us now to the practical application 33:41 that I want to hammer home this evening. 33:44 After all of that teaching now it's time to preach. 33:48 What have I been trying to say all this time? 33:51 We have to pray and keep on praying. Amen! 33:56 That's the meat of this message tonight: The Golden Altar of 34:00 Incense. We can't stop praying! 34:04 We have to continually pray. 34:07 The golden incense must continually go up. 34:11 I Thessalonians 5:17 says we are to "pray without ceasing. " 34:16 The prophet Daniel understood this. 34:18 Though faced with sure death in the lion's den 34:20 he continued in his prayer practice. 34:22 Daniel, you will remember, every day entered still his house, 34:27 opens his windows, he continued kneeling three times per day 34:32 praying and giving thanks before God as he had always done. 34:37 And the Lord rewarded this continual practice of prayer 34:39 ascending up because God shut the mouths of the lions 34:43 in the lion's den. You've got to pray without ceasing. 34:47 Somebody said "You've got to push... " 34:49 which means you've got to pray until something happens. 34:52 The incense must keep burning; the prayers must keep ascending. 34:57 Ellen White says in Patriarchs and Prophets 34:59 that God looks with great pleasure upon those who love Him 35:02 bowing morning and evening 35:05 to seek pardon for sins committed and to present their 35:08 requests for needed blessings. 35:10 Daniel... he knew the power of prayer. 35:13 David... he also knew the power of prayer 35:16 which is why he said in Psalm 55 verses 16 and 17 35:20 "As for me, I will call upon the Lord. 35:23 I will call upon God and the Lord shall save me. 35:25 Evening and morning and noon will I pray and cry aloud 35:29 and He shall hear my voice. " 35:31 That's why Paul said in Ephesians 6:18: "We ought to 35:34 pray in the Spirit at all times 35:37 with every kind of prayer and petition. " 35:39 That's why Paul also said in Philippians chapter 4 35:42 "Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer 35:46 and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests 35:50 be made known unto God 35:52 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, 35:55 will keep your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. " 35:59 Well tonight there is nothing wrong with Paul, and I'm glad 36:03 he said something about continuous prayer. 36:05 There's nothing wrong with Daniel. I'm glad he promoted 36:08 continuous prayer. There's nothing wrong with David. 36:11 I'm glad we heard from him about continuous prayer. 36:14 But tonight I want to hear a specific word from the Lord. 36:18 What does Jesus say about continual prayer? 36:21 He told us in Matthew chapter 7 verse number 7 36:24 "Ask and it shall be given you; 36:27 seek and ye shall find; 36:29 knock and the door shall be opened unto you. " 36:32 And it's in this text when Jesus speaks 36:35 that we understand the call to pray and keep on praying. 36:39 To keep the incense burning. 36:42 To keep the incense ascending. What am I talking about? 36:46 In this text we have 3 verbs: 36:49 ask, seek, and knock. 36:53 These 3 verbs are what we call imperative commands. 36:57 They are necessary directives... 37:00 which means Jesus wouldn't have said it if He didn't mean it. 37:03 The Lord expects all of us to be active in prayer. 37:08 He knows what we need before we ask, but 37:11 we still have to ask. Are you hearing what I'm saying? 37:13 But not only that, when you study the Greek 37:16 in the New Testament there are two basic kinds 37:20 of imperatives. There's an aorist imperative 37:24 and there's a present imperative. 37:27 Everybody say aorist imperative: 37:29 aorist imperative. And now say present imperative. 37:33 present imperative. Now understand 37:35 the aorist imperative is a command to do a particular thing 37:40 at one specific time. 37:43 But the present imperative is a command not only to do something 37:48 but to keep on doing it indefinitely. 37:52 Present tense implies continuous persistent action. 37:58 You're all looking at me like I don't know what I'm talking 38:00 about... but you're gonna get this in a minute. 38:02 What Jesus is saying in this text is this: 38:06 not only that we must ask but we've got to keep on asking. 38:12 Not only must we seek 38:15 but we've got to keep on seeking. 38:17 Not only must we knock but we must keep on knocking. 38:22 We've got to pray and keep on praying. 38:25 The incense must continually ascend 38:29 and it must continually burn. But there's some more. 38:32 These present tense imperative verbs - 38:35 ask, seek, and knock - 38:39 have a natural progression of action 38:42 from the least aggressive to the most aggressive. 38:46 In other words, there's a reason Jesus put these words 38:50 in the order that they are in. 38:51 Jesus is saying not only must we engage 38:55 in continuous persistent action 38:58 but He's also saying that the very three words 39:01 ask, seek, and knock 39:04 suggest an ever-increasing intensity 39:07 in your continuous prayer life. 39:10 You see, He said step one is asking. 39:13 When you ask somebody something 39:16 you're making a request of them. 39:18 My children know this principle because when I don't respond... 39:22 when they ask and I don't respond... 39:23 they keep on asking. 39:25 When you ask somebody something you're making a request of them. 39:30 Asking in prayer is to make a request of God. 39:34 We ask something of God when we have a need, 39:37 and we ask something of God because we believe God can 39:40 provide for all of our needs. 39:42 If we want to receive, we must ask! 39:45 But not only asking... #2, we've got to seek. 39:49 Seeking then is asking PLUS action. 39:53 When we seek something we need something of value to us. 39:57 There are times when we need to take an active role 40:00 in the prayer process. If we want to find something, 40:03 we've gotta seek something. 40:05 You must pray as if everything depended upon God 40:08 and work as if everything depended on you. 40:11 You've got to ask, but you also have to act. 40:15 But then step #3... it's knocking. 40:19 Knocking is asking plus acting plus attitude. 40:25 Let me say that again. Knocking is asking 40:29 plus action plus attitude. 40:33 This implies our petition in asking, our purpose in seeking, 40:37 and our persistence in knocking. 40:39 We knock when we are shut out from what we need 40:42 and desire entrance. When we're trying to get in a door 40:46 what do we do? We knock! 40:47 And we knock until we gain entrance. 40:50 So then if we want entrance we've got to knock. 40:54 "Ask and it shall be given you; 40:57 seek and ye shall find; 40:59 knock, and the door shall be opened unto you. " 41:03 It's continuous action. 41:05 It's intensified aggressive ac- tion until we get what we need. 41:10 So don't grow weary in asking God for what you need. 41:15 Doesn't the Word of God say: "Let us not be weary 41:18 in well doing, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not. " 41:24 Which means we've got to ask and keep on asking. 41:28 We've got to seek and keep on seeking. 41:31 We must knock and keep on knocking because the incense 41:34 must continually burn. But then there's one more thing 41:39 that I must add. 41:42 When you finish asking, when you finish seeking, 41:48 when you finish knocking 41:52 don't forget to say thank you. 41:57 If the only prayer you'll ever pray in your life is thank you, 42:03 friends of mine that will be enough. 42:06 The story is told of a woman who showed up at church. 42:11 And when she showed up at church she prayed the same simple 42:15 prayer every time: "Oh Lord, thank you Jesus. " 42:21 Every time she prayed she said 42:24 "Oh, Lord... " and "thank you Jesus. " 42:27 Week after week she prayed the same exact prayer. 42:32 "Oh Lord, thank you Jesus. " 42:35 The children of the church started laughing at this lady. 42:38 They started laughing every time she opened her mouth 42:41 because they knew it would be the same prayer. 42:43 They would say: "Here she goes again: 42:45 Sister Oh Lord, thank you Jesus. " 42:49 Finally somebody asked her 42:52 "Ma'am, why do you keep pray- ing the same little prayer? " 42:57 "Why do you keep praying 'O Lord, thank you Jesus? ' " 43:03 She said: "Well I'm just combining the two prayers 43:07 that I know. " She said: "You see, I live in a bad 43:12 neighborhood and some nights there are bullets flying 43:16 in my neighborhood and I have to grab my daughter 43:19 and I have to hide her on the floor. 43:21 And in that desperate state, all I know how to do is to cry out 43:25 'Oh Lord. ' But when I wake up in the morning 43:29 and see that we're OK I'm able to say 'thank you Jesus. ' " 43:34 She said: "When I go take my baby girl to the bus stop 43:38 and she gets on that bus, and I don't know what's going to 43:41 happen to her all day at school while she's away I cry 43:45 'Oh Lord. ' 43:47 But then, when 3 o'clock rolls around 43:50 and that bus arrives at the bus stop in front of my house 43:54 and my baby is safe and sound 43:58 all I then say is: 'thank you Jesus. ' " 44:01 She said: "So these are the only two prayers I know. 44:04 So when I get to church, because God has been so good to me 44:09 I just put these two prayers together 44:12 and that's why I keep saying: 'Oh Lord, thank you Jesus. ' " 44:16 "Oh Lord, thank you Jesus. " 44:19 So friends of mine, when you finish asking 44:23 don't forget to say thank you. 44:25 "Thank you, Lord, for keeping me. " 44:28 "Thank you, Lord, for protecting me. " 44:30 "Thank you, Lord, for saving me. " 44:33 "Thank you, Lord, for delivering me. " 44:36 "Thank you, Lord, for waking me up this morning. " 44:39 "Thank you, Lord, for feeding me. " 44:42 "Thank you, Lord, for providing for me. " 44:45 "Thank you, Lord, I found the answer. " 44:48 I will learn how to pray. 44:50 Jesus on the main line... tell Him what you want. 44:54 You just call Him up and tell Him what you want. 44:57 Friends of mine, you've got to keep on praying. 45:00 Keep the incense burning; keep the prayers going up. 45:04 Because when the praises go up the blessings come down! 45:09 Prayer time is high time. 45:11 You see, I can fall on my knees and I can pray 45:13 because I serve a prayer-answering God. 45:16 I serve a problem-solving God. 45:19 I serve a pain-relieving God. 45:21 I serve a heart-fixing God. 45:24 I serve a way-making God. 45:26 I even serve a tuition-paying God. 45:29 I serve a cancer-killing God. 45:31 I serve a child-finding God. 45:34 I serve a job-giving God. 45:36 I serve a marriage-saving God. 45:39 I serve a single-satisfying God. 45:42 The devil can't stand prayer... 45:45 but the devil can't stop you from praying. 45:48 And the devil can't stop God from answering prayer. 45:50 Do I have a witness in this place? 45:52 Just ask, and keep on asking. 45:56 Just seek, and keep on seeking. 45:58 Just knock, and keep on knocking. 46:01 The Word says: "If My people who are called by My name 46:05 would just humble themselves and pray 46:07 seek My face and turn from their wicked ways 46:10 then I will hear from heaven and heal their land. " 46:13 "Seek ye the Lord while He may be found; 46:15 call upon God while He is near. " 46:18 "Confess your faults to one another. " 46:21 "Pray for one another that ye may be healed. " 46:23 Because "the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous person 46:26 availeth much. " You've got to pray without ceasing. 46:32 Prayer is the most important conversation of your day. 46:40 You'd better take it to the Lord in prayer 46:42 before you take it to anybody else. 46:47 Today we no longer need a literal altar 46:52 standing before us where we must burn incense. 46:57 All of the functions of the golden altar of incense 47:02 are fulfilled in Christ 47:04 and through the intercessory ministry of the Holy Spirit 47:06 in the hearts of men. 47:08 The ministry of the Holy Spirit is also witnessed through the 47:12 altar of incense. We are told in the Word that 47:15 the Holy Spirit makes inter- cession for us according to 47:18 the will of God. Romans chapter 8 verse 26: 47:21 "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities 47:25 for we know not what we should pray for as we ought. 47:30 But the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us 47:34 with groanings, with moanings that cannot be uttered. " 47:39 So sometimes I'm laying in the bed at night 47:41 and my wife is laying next to me and I just start moaning 47:44 in the middle of the night. She says: "Honey, what's wrong? " 47:46 I said: "I'm just having a little talk with Jesus. " 47:49 And He makes it right. We may not know what to pray 47:53 but the Holy Spirit will help us pray. 47:56 Pray, and keep on praying. 48:00 Keep the incense going up. 48:03 And what we must remember is we cannot get near to the 48:07 glory of God without prayer. 48:10 Prayer is the key that unlocks the veil 48:13 to the very presence of God. 48:15 Tonight, do we want to see the glory of God in the midst 48:20 of our church? Yes! Do we want to see the glory of God 48:25 in the midst of our lives? 48:28 Do we want to see the glory of God in the midst 48:31 of our children's lives? Yes! 48:34 Do we want to see God pour out His Spirit 48:38 upon His people? Friends, it will only come 48:42 when we have accomplished our ministry of intercession 48:46 before the altar of incense. 48:50 So tonight, just pray and keep on praying. 48:57 Seek, and keep on seeking. 49:01 Knock, and keep on knocking. 49:05 Keep the incense burning. 49:09 And friends of mine, watch God move in the lives 49:15 of His people. Amen! Because "The Lord is my light 49:20 and my salvation. 49:23 Whom then shall I fear? 49:26 The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? 49:29 When the wicked, even mine enemies and foes, 49:31 came to eat of my flesh they stumbled and fell. 49:34 Though war should rise up against me, in this will I be 49:37 confident. One thing that I have desired of the Lord 49:41 and that which I seek after: that I may dwell in the house 49:45 of the Lord all the days of my life. 49:49 And God's house shall be a house of prayer 49:55 for all people." 49:58 Ask, and keep asking. 50:02 Seek, and keep seeking. 50:05 Knock, and keep on knocking. 50:10 Keep the prayers ascending. 50:13 Keep the incense burning... 50:18 and God will give you the desires of your heart. 50:25 Prayerfully Pastor John will come now 50:28 and sing that melodious song 50:31 Seekers of Your Heart. 50:56 Until we give You first place 51:04 Until we let You begin 51:10 To fill us with Your Spirit 51:17 Renew us from within 51:26 Nothing matters 51:33 Nothing's gained 51:38 Without Your holy 51:42 presence 51:45 Our lives are lived 51:49 in vain 51:57 Lord, we want to 52:01 know You 52:05 Live our lives 52:08 to show You 52:12 All the love 52:15 we owe You 52:19 As seekers of 52:23 Your heart 52:32 Because Your heart was broken 52:38 Because You saw the need 52:45 Because You gave so freely 52:52 Because of Calvary 53:00 We can now be 53:07 Called Your own 53:12 Completed 53:15 creations 53:19 We are filled with You 53:22 alone 53:31 Lord we want to 53:35 know You 53:38 Live our lives 53:41 to show You 53:45 All the love 53:48 we owe to You 53:52 As seekers of 53:56 Your heart 54:01 Lord we want to 54:04 know You 54:08 Live our lives 54:11 to show You 54:16 All the love 54:19 that we owe to You 54:23 As seekers of 54:27 Your heart... 54:32 Seekers of 54:39 Your heart 54:50 We are seekers 54:54 of 54:56 Your heart 55:12 God wants our hearts. 55:15 And if you're like me, I want to give Him my heart. 55:20 Tonight if that's your desire, I invite you to stand with me 55:24 as we pray. 55:36 Tonight, oh Lord, we've talked about prayer... 55:40 the golden altar of incense. 55:45 Not an altar of sacrifice per se 55:50 but an altar of intercession. 55:54 The priests interceded 55:58 and even right now our High Priest Jesus Christ 56:02 intercedes for us. Amen! 56:05 For that we say: "Oh God, thank you. " 56:10 Lord, You're omniscient which means You're all knowing. 56:14 And that means You know what we need before we even ask. 56:20 But God, it still is Your desire to hear the prayers 56:24 of Your children. 56:27 So Lord, we're going to ask and keep on asking. 56:31 We're going to seek and keep on seeking. 56:36 We're going to knock and we're going to keep on knocking 56:41 because we want the fresh aroma of the incense of our prayers 56:45 to continue to ascend to heaven. 56:50 So be with everyone under the sound of my voice: 56:54 those here and those yet who are watching. 56:57 God, You didn't promise us You would give us what we want 57:02 but You did say You'd meet our needs. 57:05 Meet our needs we pray tonight. 57:08 Forgive us for our sins. 57:11 Save us, please, when You come. 57:14 In the name of the Father, the Son, 57:19 and the Holy Spirit. 57:20 Let all those who love Jesus say Amen: 57:23 Amen and Amen. 57:26 May God bless you. 57:28 You may be seated. |
Revised 2023-07-30