Participants: Frank Gonzalez
Series Code: AOT
Program Code: AOT000118
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00:12 Welcome to Anchors Of Truth live from the 3ABN Worship Center.
00:22 Good evening, friends, and welcome to the 00:24 3ABN Worship Center here in southern Illinois. 00:28 Some people get confused as to where it's located. 00:30 3ABN is in West Frankfort, but also in Thompsonville. 00:34 And if you come to the mid-west, which is one of the largest 00:37 small cities in the world... 00:39 I say that because many people thought that Reno was. 00:41 Well, there's more that's happening here 00:43 to affect the gospel of God than is happening in Reno. 00:47 Can you say amen to that? 00:49 So we are here at the 3ABN Worship Center 00:51 right across the West Frankfort line. 00:53 If you go to the west, you go to West Frankfort. 00:55 You go to the east, you're in Thompsonville. 00:57 But thank the Lord you don't have to worry about directions, 00:59 because you have already chosen the channel that God has 01:02 called you to tune into tonight. 01:05 We have been enjoying a series entitled, 01:07 Seven Words of Hope. 01:10 And Pastor Frank Gonzalez has been our presenter 01:13 from night to night. 01:14 And if you are in the West Frankfort area, 01:16 in the southern Illinois area, and you are not too far away, 01:19 we'd like to invite you to come and worship with us. 01:22 Tomorrow morning, we're going to have another meeting 01:24 at 11:00 am. 01:25 And then our final meeting tomorrow afternoon, 01:28 that is, Saturday afternoon, we call the Sabbath, at 3 pm. 01:32 So there are two more meetings remaining. 01:34 And one of the challenges Pastor Gonzalez mentioned 01:37 at the very beginning is, how do you present 01:39 the seven words of hope in five meetings. 01:43 But we're going to pray that the Lord will give him a very 01:45 inventive and keen way of communicating those words. 01:50 Tonight's message is entitled, Sheltered. 01:53 But let me give you just a little bit, if you're tuning in 01:55 for the first time, about Pastor Frank Gonzalez. 02:00 He's quite an educated individual. 02:02 He attended Andrews University Theological Seminary 02:06 and graduated Summa Cum Laude. 02:09 That is, at the top of his class. 02:11 Meaning, you've got to really be a person of prayer 02:14 and a person of determined educational ability 02:17 to accomplish that. 02:19 Also received Outstanding Performance in Pulpit Oratory 02:22 from Southern College. 02:23 And he has been also, for 17 years, if you've 02:28 heard of the ministry called, La Voz de la Esperanza, 02:32 The Voice of Hope, he was the speaker and director. 02:35 That is similar to 3ABN Latino. 02:39 And he has been able to preach in all parts of the globe, 02:44 travelled extensively. 02:46 But he is a born native of the country of Cuba. 02:50 Some people say Cuba. 02:51 I had the distinct privilege of going to Cuba a few years ago 02:55 and seeing the work of God being carried on there. 03:00 God has His message on every country in every 03:05 part of this world. 03:06 Because the Bible says, "The gospel of the kingdom 03:09 will be preached in all the world as a witness 03:11 to all nations, and then shall the end come." 03:16 So tonight, we are fulfilling by the power of God's Holy Spirit 03:19 the proclamation of the gospel into all the world. 03:23 Now even though Pastor Frank Gonzalez's native tongue 03:28 is Spanish, he has pastored in English and Spanish 03:33 speaking churches. 03:34 He's the pastor of the Avon Park Seventh-day Adventist Church, 03:40 about a 900 plus member church, located there in Avon Park 03:45 central Florida. 03:46 I'd like to say, "Welcome," those of you who are 03:47 tuning in for support of your pastor. 03:50 Thank you for allowing him to come and to bless us 03:52 these meetings that are behind us and the two more. 03:55 We promise, by God's grace, to return him to you in one piece. 03:59 Amen, church? 04:00 We have been blessed. 04:02 He has written more than ten books. 04:03 And he told us last night in the afterglow that the next 04:07 book he's writing is going to be in English. 04:09 Amen for that? 04:10 Because these messages can't be just locked down into Spanish. 04:13 But he also talked about maybe translating 04:16 one of those, one of his favorite books about 04:18 righteousness by faith, translating that into English. 04:22 So we have a lot of things to look forward to 04:24 as Pastor Gonzalez continues to allow the Lord to 04:27 work through his life. 04:29 He has a wife named, Evelyn. 04:30 Evelyn, if you're tuning in, welcome to you from 3ABN. 04:33 Three adult children; Sergio, Benjamin, and Bianca. 04:37 And we're thankful that God has called him tonight 04:40 for such a time as this. 04:42 You know, if ever there was a time that the world 04:44 needs hope, it is now. 04:46 What do you think about that? 04:47 Right now we are wondering about so many things. 04:50 There's crime on one hand, there's the mystery of this 04:53 flight that has disappeared. 04:55 People have not been able to find out where it is yet. 04:57 We want to keep the families and the people that are 05:00 part of the search party in intense prayer. 05:04 Praying that God will be able to guide them 05:07 to locate those missing families. 05:09 And we do pray that they will be found safely. 05:13 Amen for that? 05:14 But tonight, we're going to turn our hearts 05:16 towards the hope that the Lord has in store for us 05:19 through the message entitled, Sheltered. 05:22 But just before Pastor Frank Gonzalez comes 05:25 to preach the message tonight, it brings me joy to invite 05:29 to the stage tonight Mike and Celestine Berry. 05:35 Celestine is going to be singing the song entitled, Follow. 05:38 She's my church secretary. 05:39 We work closely together, and they are a wonderful couple. 05:43 Just a little bit of good news; they're celebrating, 05:45 coming up really shortly, their 15th anniversary 05:48 as husband and wife. 05:49 So tonight, let's welcome both of them with a hearty amen 05:52 as our hearts are blessed with this song entitled, Follow. 06:16 Follow, follow wherever 06:24 He leads you; 06:28 you'll find that His ways will please you 06:35 more than if you make your own. 06:46 Follow, even though 06:52 friends may forsake you; 06:57 you'll find that Jesus will make you 07:04 the best Friend that you'll ever know. 07:15 And one day as you're travelling along, 07:21 something will happen to you. 07:28 You'll find that His way is much better by far; 07:35 you'll find that it's your way too. 07:51 So follow, 07:56 even though friends may forsake you; 08:03 you'll find that Jesus will make you 08:10 the best Friend that you'll ever know. 08:20 Follow. 08:28 Follow. 08:34 Yeah, follow. 08:48 And one day as you're travelling along, 08:54 something will happen to you. 09:00 You'll find that His way is much better by far; 09:07 you'll find that it's your way too. 09:22 So follow, 09:27 even though friends may forsake you; 09:35 you'll find that Jesus will make you 09:42 the best Friend that you'll ever know. 10:05 Good evening. 10:07 Thank you for coming. 10:08 And thank you for tuning in. 10:12 You know, we have been discussing seven words 10:17 of hope. 10:18 Seven words that are infused with life and spirit, 10:24 because, thankfully, they don't come from me. 10:28 They come from Jesus Himself. 10:32 And tonight's word is specially directed, not exclusively, 10:39 but specially directed to every mother out there. 10:44 So make sure mom is watching. 10:47 Because there is a very special blessing for mom today. 10:53 But I need God's help. 10:55 And with your permission, I'm going to ask God for it. 11:00 Heavenly Father, may the meditation of Your 11:05 servant's heart and the words of his mouth 11:10 be acceptable unto You and of help to someone. 11:17 And we'll give You the honor and the glory and the praise. 11:21 And we'll do it in Jesus' name, amen and amen. 11:27 You know, while Jesus was on His cross 11:32 He preached, so to speak, seven short sermons. 11:40 And there's special power in those seven sayings 11:45 of Jesus from the cross. 11:47 And we have come to the third of these saying. 11:56 I can't think of any other woman that is in history 12:04 so highly honored as the virgin Mary. 12:08 Can you? 12:11 Think about it, people. 12:13 For nine months she carried in her womb, wow, 12:20 the One whose name is Emmanuel. 12:24 Which is translated how? 12:27 God with us. 12:29 Matthew 1:23 12:32 God in her womb. 12:36 That means that her Son, Jesus, was not only truly 12:41 a human being, for He became one of us, 12:45 but He was also the divine Son of God. 12:51 That's why He, and only He, is the bridge that unites, 12:58 that joins humanity with God. 13:03 Being one of us He knows all about us. 13:09 The Bible says that in His humanity He was in all points 13:13 tempted as we are, yet without sin. 13:18 He came from heaven with a sinless nature. 13:23 It's not correct to say that He had a sinful nature. 13:27 Yet He took upon His sinless nature, which He brought 13:30 from heaven, our sinful nature so that He could know 13:38 and understand our temptations. 13:41 That's why the Bible says that, "He is touched with the feelings 13:47 of our infirmities." 13:51 In other words, He knows how weak we are. 13:55 He knows how much we need Him. 13:58 Yes. 14:00 Mary gave Him His humanity. 14:03 His DNA, if you will. 14:06 Which goes back to David, goes further back to Abraham. 14:12 And then back to the fallen Adam himself. 14:16 Jesus was made like unto His brethren. 14:21 Hebrews 2:17 14:24 Now in our case, it's sort of the reverse. 14:27 We have a sinful nature. 14:30 But through the miracle of the new birth by the Holy Spirit, 14:33 we can take upon our sinful nature His sinless nature. 14:41 What a miracle. 14:44 How close is He to us? 14:47 You know, He took all of us, He took all of our humanity. 14:52 You know what, I forgot my second brain. 14:55 You know how I am. 14:56 Carry it around. 15:02 It turns out that in that same area I explained to you, that 15:05 hypothalamic region... 15:07 Remember that? 15:10 ...there is something called the pineal gland. 15:14 I may be saying it wrong in English. 15:17 But it's either the pineal gland or the pineal gland, 15:20 I don't know. 15:21 I think it's... 15:25 Pineal? 15:27 Pineal? 15:29 Okay, anyway. You know. 15:30 You know what I'm talking about. 15:33 That gland, it turns out, you know, studies that have 15:37 been done in London and other places, 15:41 it works like a satellite dish. 15:44 Now I'm in the right place to talk about that here. 15:48 3ABN. 15:49 I went the other day to the old 3ABN. 15:54 You know, they have the radio there now. 15:56 And there's that huge satellite dish, you know. 16:00 I mean, that thing is humongous. 16:04 Yeah, can't put that out of your window. 16:08 But it turns out that this gland works like a satellite dish. 16:19 And it helps to communicate, 16:28 especially with people of your common DNA. 16:33 I mean, the closest the person is to you, 16:36 there is some kind of communication 16:39 that can take place. 16:40 Look people, if man can do these things, 16:43 don't you think God can do better? 16:46 He just needs a little pineal gland like that. 16:51 There was a woman in my church, one of my first churches, 16:58 I worried about her, because I didn't know about this 17:00 pineal gland business back then. 17:02 And I thought she was a little strange. 17:07 Then again, you know, ladies, we men find you different. 17:17 But we marvel at you, we do. 17:20 We're very simple. 17:22 We're so simple, we're simpletons. 17:25 You know, and you are sophisticated. 17:28 You are marvelous. I mean, you... 17:31 God put some extra work on you and made you very special. 17:36 And you have powers of intuition. 17:38 And some of it has to do with this pineal gland, it turns out. 17:42 And this lady, anyway, this mother, she could know 17:48 if something had happened to her boy. 17:52 She just knew. 17:55 Two in the morning there was an accident, 17:57 and she'd wake up and she knew something had happened. 18:01 Was she crazy or strange? 18:04 No. 18:05 Have you heard about these identical twins? 18:12 You know, how one of them might, say, smash their thumb 18:18 with a hammer. 18:19 And the other twin in another city says, "Ouch." 18:30 It turns out that it's true. 18:33 It turns out that this neurotransmission 18:36 takes place, and the pineal gland can catch it. 18:40 I'm saying all that because Jesus took all of our DNA. 18:48 You know where I'm heading. 18:49 And I'm not saying that He needs the pineal gland. 18:52 No, no. I'm not saying that. 18:53 But what I'm saying is that He entered into 18:58 our common humanity. 19:00 He knows what it's about. 19:02 Not just intellectually, not just because He's God. 19:06 But now because He tested it, because He entered into it. 19:11 It's a little different. 19:15 The Bible even says in Luke that He learned, 19:19 He learned these things. 19:22 Well, how close is He to us? 19:26 He couldn't come any closer, dear. 19:29 You could not possibly have a Savior that knows you 19:35 as well as He does. 19:37 Isn't that wonderful? 19:38 I thank God for that. 19:42 Did He know family love as we know it? 19:47 Although He Himself was the giver of the Ten Commandments, 19:52 did He humble Himself to obey them? 19:55 Did He? 19:56 Yes He did. 19:58 He sure did. 20:00 How did He relate to His earthly mother? 20:06 You know, think about it, this is God in human flesh. 20:11 The divine Commander of the heavenly angels. 20:14 And yet, He humbled Himself as a child to be subject 20:19 unto His mother Mary even though she could not understand Him 20:23 most of the time. 20:25 And sometimes, truth be told, made life a little 20:29 difficult for Him. 20:31 You know, I'm not blaming Mary. 20:33 I mean, can you blame her? I mean. 20:37 Has there ever been a child like Jesus? 20:41 On one occasion when He was 12, I'll give you an example, 20:46 she scolded Him for something that was not His fault... 20:53 ...but hers. 20:56 I'm not picking on Mary. I love Mary. 20:59 I'm just telling you the truth. 21:01 They had gone up to Jerusalem to attend Passover. 21:05 The story is in the Bible, you know. 21:08 The full truth is that when they had started home, 21:10 Mary simply forgot about Him. 21:15 That happened to me as a boy. 21:18 When my mother and I left my native country, 21:24 had to leave, for a few months we were in Madrid, Spain. 21:31 And she went into this store and she was just, you know, 21:35 oh there was nothing like this in Cuba. 21:39 And so she just got caught up with all of the wonderful things 21:44 about the store. 21:46 And you know, ladies, you can get caught up 21:48 with the shopping thing. 21:51 God bless you. 21:54 Do you know, do you know that it's a proven scientific fact 22:00 now, a medical fact, proven, that us men, our blood pressure 22:06 goes up when we have to go to a mall? 22:13 Will you be merciful upon us? 22:18 Anyway, she was caught up with all this stuff, 22:21 and she forgot about her boy. 22:25 And all of a sudden, I found myself alone and forgotten. 22:30 And, oh boy, I can't tell you how horrible it was. 22:37 Now Mary had assumed that He was with a group, you know, 22:41 that they were travelling with. 22:42 But when nightfall came, she couldn't find Him. 22:48 And now she started remembering how King Herod 22:50 had tried to kill Him. 22:52 She panicked and rushed back to Jerusalem with Joseph, 22:55 "Joseph, come with me," looking for Him everywhere. 22:59 She finally found Him in the temple theological seminary 23:04 talking and reasoning with the great teachers of Israel 23:08 at the age of 12. 23:12 Wow. 23:13 And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding 23:19 and answers. 23:21 Now don't get this wrong. 23:22 Don't get this wrong. 23:24 This wasn't a hard drive that He brought from heaven. 23:29 No, no, no. 23:30 Jesus had to discover who He was. 23:35 You know how He had to discover it, the same thing? 23:38 How we discover Him. 23:40 Through studying the Scriptures. 23:43 Don't think that baby Jesus would sit on Mary's lap 23:48 and regale her with stories about His heroics 23:54 in heaven with the angels. 23:56 He did not do that. 23:58 He had to learn from Mary. 24:01 He had to learn from the Scriptures. 24:03 He had to study, He had to come to know. 24:06 He had to pray. 24:07 He had to become and know who He was, yes. 24:20 Now Mary was not amused by this whole incident. 24:25 She was a little annoyed, to tell the truth. 24:29 And when she got to be with Him, she said this, 24:31 this is the way the King James puts it, 24:34 "Son, why hast thou thus dealt us? 24:39 Behold, thy father and I hath sought thee sorrowing." 24:45 Let me translate this for you. 24:47 She said, "Why have You been so naughty?" 24:51 That's why she would say. 24:54 But Jesus had not been naughty. 24:58 Kindly and courteously, He responded to her ill temper, 25:04 "'How is it that ye sought me? 25:07 Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?' 25:11 And they understood not the saying that he spake unto them." 25:16 This is in Luke 2 verses 46 through 50, 25:19 if you want to write it up. 25:22 The statement of their 12 year old Son 25:25 went right over their heads. 25:29 And this was a regular occurrence. 25:33 Often, His mother Mary had misunderstood Him like that. 25:38 Oh by the way, did you notice that by the time He was 25:42 12 years old, He already knew who His real Father was? 25:47 Did you get it? 25:49 "I am in my Father's business." 25:52 He didn't mean Joseph. 25:55 He meant His heavenly Father. 25:57 Now we would be tempted to react and respond 26:03 and a little resentful toward the parent 26:06 who often misunderstood us. 26:09 But you know, Jesus' love for His mother never wavered. 26:14 He obeyed the fifth of the Ten Commandments, 26:17 "Honor thy father and thy mother," 26:19 Exodus 20 verse 12. 26:23 You know, it tells us to do that ourselves. 26:27 Even when we think our parents don't deserve honor. 26:34 Jesus forgave Mary all her fretting and all her scolding 26:40 even though sometimes she made life difficult for Him. 26:44 Even as a scolding fretful parent can 26:47 make life difficult for us. 26:51 And yes, dear one, Jesus forgives the overworked mothers 26:58 and overworked fathers of today who fret and scold. 27:04 And He seeks to lead them to find peace and rest in Him. 27:12 Now at last, He has been arrested by the temple police, 27:18 and condemned, and nailed to His cross to die. 27:24 The pain of the nails in His wrists and ankles 27:27 is unspeakable. 27:31 But on top of all the physical pain and shame He must endure, 27:35 the sins of the world are rolling upon His heart. 27:42 He hears the jeering of the temple priests and of the mob. 27:47 His mind is distraught. 27:51 But even so, He remembers that God is love, 27:58 and He is the Son of God. 28:00 That love in His heart must find expression 28:04 even though He's being crucified. 28:07 And thus He prays for His enemies, you remember, 28:10 and then ministers to the penitent thief 28:13 being crucified with Him. 28:15 Now we listen to the third word from the cross. 28:21 Racked with pain as He is, He remembers 28:25 His broken hearted mother standing by the cross 28:30 with the disciple, John. 28:33 Bewildered as they were by all that was happening, 28:38 they can't begin to fathom at all. 28:42 "What is going on?" they were wondering. 28:47 "Why did Jesus let them crucify Him when He knows 28:51 He's the Messiah," Mary was thinking. 28:56 Mary is devastated. 28:58 Can this be her Son that she bore in her womb 29:03 who is dying so disgracefully like a criminal? 29:08 Didn't the angel Gabriel tell her that His Father is God? 29:14 She remembered that John the Baptist called Him 29:16 the Lamb of God. 29:19 She remembered that the Samaritan's called Him 29:21 the Savior of the world. 29:23 And she remembered that the angel Gabriel had assured her 29:27 before His birth, He shall save the people from their sins. 29:34 Matthews 1:21 29:36 He is the only hope for salvation for the whole world; 29:41 what's going on here? 29:45 No other mother in history knows that same pain. 29:52 But Jesus has not lost His regal bearing. 29:56 He speaks as what He is; 29:59 the Commander of the hosts of heaven. 30:03 Looking at His mother with tender pity, and nodding with 30:09 His head towards John, He says this third saying. 30:14 It's found in The Gospel According to John 30:18 chapter 19 verses 26 and 27. 30:25 John 19 verses 26 and 27. 30:30 He says, "'Woman, behold thy son.' 30:38 And then saith he to the disciple, 'Behold thy mother.'" 30:45 Here was Jesus giving full obedience 30:48 to the fifth commandment. 30:50 He's honoring His mother before the world. 30:54 He forgives her all her faults and failures. 30:58 He appreciates her loving care, her motherhood. 31:02 And in honoring her, Jesus is honoring every mother 31:07 in the whole world. 31:10 Including you, dear, who are watching. 31:15 He's saying in effect, "I appreciate your motherhood, 31:19 your devotion to your children, how you have sacrificed 31:23 yourself for their betterment, 31:25 how your love for them never ends." 31:28 Jesus is telling every mother, "Please receive this benediction 31:33 I give to her as being for you too." 31:37 Jesus is a loving friend to every mother in the world. 31:44 You know, when mother is burdened with too much work... 31:49 You know, going back to this 31:56 hypothalamic region of the brain. 32:01 Let me put it this way. 32:04 You ladies, moms in particular, but you know, every lady 32:11 is hard wired to be a mother; is prepared. 32:17 God has fashioned you, God has prepared you, 32:20 biologically and atomically, emotionally, intellectually, 32:25 spiritually, for you to be a mother, to be a wife. 32:31 And to be many things in the kingdom, now. 32:33 But you have these special abilities. 32:39 I sometimes, using a little humor, compare it to... 32:43 Especially when in the days that you had those big satellite 32:47 dishes and you had the small ones, you see. 32:49 You know, we men, we're so clueless about things. 32:53 That's why we don't suffer as much, it's true. 32:56 We don't... 32:57 You know, we're so simple that we only see one thing 33:02 when you see like a hundred or a thousand. 33:05 And so you worry about the hundred and the thousand. 33:08 We just worry about the one thing. 33:11 But you are always queued in. 33:15 You always know what's going on. 33:18 Your sensitivity. 33:20 But what happens with that is, the bad side of that, 33:24 is that you ladies, you moms, are often more burdened 33:29 than we are. 33:30 You're more burdened emotionally. 33:32 You're more burdened, you're carrying more weight, 33:36 than we are. 33:38 That's the way I feel about it. 33:40 So when you have to deal with that much work; 33:44 maybe unruly children, 33:46 maybe worrying about providing for the children, 33:50 maybe the stress with the heartaches and problems 33:53 of the children, 33:55 you need to remember how the dying Son of God 33:59 provided for His mother. 34:02 And that He will provide for every mother that turns to Him. 34:08 Aren't you happy... 34:09 Think of this, people. 34:10 This isn't just a cliché. 34:12 Jesus knows what being a mother is. 34:19 Because He was a son. 34:21 You understand? 34:22 He lived with mom. 34:29 There's probably not a mother in the world 34:34 who has not at some time been tempted to get cross 34:40 with unruly and disobedient children. 34:44 Yeah, yeah we understand. 34:47 You know, when you work, work, work, work, work; 34:50 you do the laundry, and you do the house keeping, 34:53 and you do the dishes, 34:54 and when often is the case nowadays, mother must also work 34:59 outside to earn the money to keep the family together, 35:04 and when as it is often true mother is a single mom... 35:10 That's happening more and more. 35:12 ...oh how heavy the burdens become. 35:18 Then it is that the nerves get taut and your spirit chafes, 35:24 and deep in your heart you wonder how it could be 35:27 that God loves you if He permits all of this stuff 35:31 to happen to you. 35:34 And the good news that Jesus gave His mother 35:37 during the last hour of His life as He's hung on His cross 35:41 comes to you as it came to Mary. 35:46 Watching her Son die, she wondered, 35:50 I mean on a practical level, "What will happen to me now?" 35:54 There's no one to take care of her. 35:58 And don't get this wrong either. 36:01 She didn't have other children. 36:04 Oh, but doesn't the Bible say that Jesus 36:06 had brothers and sisters? 36:10 Yeah, but they were not Mary's children. 36:14 No, no. 36:17 If you read more carefully, and if you look at what 36:22 history has to say, there's a very faithful tradition 36:27 about this, Joseph was an older man. 36:31 And Joseph was a widow. 36:36 And Joseph had other children. 36:40 So in other words, even though Mary took care of 36:44 the other children, but her boy, her real boy, was Jesus. 36:54 "What's going to happen to me now?" 36:57 You know. 36:58 And by the way, this proves it. 37:00 Right? 37:01 This proves it. 37:03 Because if she had all these other children, 37:07 well this wouldn't be a concern. 37:09 But this was a concern. 37:11 It was a concern for Jesus on the cross for Mary. 37:14 "What going to happen to Mary now?" 37:17 If she had other children, they would have taken care of her. 37:20 Right, doesn't that make sense? 37:22 It makes perfect sense. 37:25 But in giving her into the care of the disciple whom 37:28 Jesus loved, the Son of God provided for her 37:32 a future better than if He had given her a bank account 37:36 of a million dollars. 37:39 Oh, the Savior's greatest delight, people, 37:42 is telling mothers like you that He will provide for your future. 37:48 He will help you tremendously if you believe it. 37:54 You know, it's not in my notes, but I have a sense 37:59 there's somebody watching, 38:02 you have been told that you're with child. 38:06 And even good people, otherwise good people 38:10 who otherwise give you good counsel, 38:14 are telling you, "Get rid of that child. 38:17 It's going to get in your way. 38:20 It's going to get in the way of your education. 38:22 It's going to get in the way of your future. 38:24 It's going to saddle you." 38:28 I want to tell you, that child that's in your womb, 38:35 the Bible says that God knows us before we're born. 38:41 The Bible says through Jeremiah that He has loved us 38:48 with an eternal love. 38:52 There's a plan for that child of yours. 38:56 There's a precious life within you for whom Jesus died 39:01 so that that child could have a hope and a future. 39:07 So turn to Jesus. 39:11 He's your provider. 39:14 You have a better future with Jesus than one just 39:20 trying to do it your way. 39:23 And that child is special. 39:25 We're all special. 39:26 And there's a plan for it. 39:28 So today if you're in that situation, dear one, 39:32 turn to Jesus. 39:35 Dedicate your child already in your womb to Him. 39:41 And God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, will do something wonderful 39:49 with that child. 39:52 Now think of how great was the blessing that 39:56 John and his family received by taking care of Mary 40:02 all of her life. 40:03 Can you imagine? 40:09 All the stories she could tell him. 40:13 No wonder he could write that gospel and have so much insight. 40:20 A lot of it he got from Mary. 40:26 She would tell him all about the life of Jesus. 40:36 The radio alarm clock sounded off 40:41 and stopped the mother, this mother, cold in her tracks 40:46 at the very moment when she was about to do something she, 40:52 oh, never imagined in a million years she would be doing. 40:59 She was about to pull the trigger on her only daughter. 41:07 Now here's the crazy thing. 41:11 She was actually a good mother. 41:13 I mean, that's not what good mothers do. 41:15 Don't get me wrong. 41:17 You know, life is complicated. 41:22 Do you find that? 41:24 Life is complicated. 41:29 That the mother had a gun and knew how to use it 41:33 is easily explained. 41:34 So I have to tell you the rest of the story. 41:37 I have to show you what I mean by the fact that she was 41:41 a good mother that had become distraught, 41:44 lost her way. 41:47 She was a member of the military of Nicaragua. 41:52 She had joined the armed forces because somebody told her, 41:56 "That's how you'll get tough. 41:59 That's how you'll survive." 42:00 She was a single mom. 42:03 And she wanted a way to provide for her daughter 42:08 and also to get strong. 42:13 So she did. 42:16 As things would have it, it turned out that the military 42:21 was something that she was particularly suited for. 42:27 Her meticulous temperament 42:34 was one that just accommodated well to the military life. 42:42 So she climbed quickly through the ranks. 42:46 Life was good. 42:47 And she was able to provide for her daughter's upbringing 42:51 and her private schooling. 42:54 But the fairy tale was about to go terribly wrong. 42:59 More like a horror story from Hollywood hell. 43:03 As her daughter entered her late teens, 43:07 she developed a taste for partying 43:11 with the wrong crowd. 43:14 I don't know that there's a right crowd 43:16 when there's partying, you know what I mean? 43:18 I don't know about that. 43:20 Nothing her mother said or did to correct her 43:24 even put a dent in her daughter's unbridled merriment. 43:31 Of course, all this led to drinking, which led to drugs. 43:37 Which, horror of horrors, had led to prostitution. 43:43 Because she had to feed a run amuck heroin addiction. 43:53 You know, when you get into the wrong path, 43:55 I'm telling you, it gets worse and worse. 44:00 You get deeper and deeper in the mire of sin. 44:05 The mother of our story was devastated. 44:09 She had worked so hard for so long 44:14 only to find that all of her work was for naught. 44:19 All the long hours of study, all the rigors of military life, 44:23 had been motivated by the thought of providing 44:26 for her daughter. 44:27 That's the only thing she cared about; her little girl. 44:30 She was her only reason to live. 44:34 And now her daughter was a what? 44:39 I'll tell you, she thought about killing herself all the time. 44:45 However, the hope, albeit remote, of her daughter 44:50 coming to her senses and returning home was 44:53 what kept her going. 44:59 When it finally happened, it was not at all what she expected. 45:06 Her daughter appeared at her door looking like a mere shadow 45:10 of her former self. 45:12 She had full blown aids. 45:18 At a time and a place where there was very little you could 45:22 do, if anything, for them. 45:25 She was dying, to put it plainly. 45:28 Her face and body but a sack of nerves and bones 45:34 with the life sapped right out of them. 45:38 But this was the moment she had long prayed for. 45:44 And so she did her best to hide from her face 45:48 that look of horror. 45:51 She didn't want her daughter to see that look, you know. 45:55 And so she just received her. 45:59 She received her daughter. 46:02 By the way, people, if your wayward child 46:11 comes home, receive them. 46:15 Receive her. 46:18 If you don't, who is? 46:23 When the prodigal comes home, 46:25 what is the father suppose to do? 46:28 What does the story say? 46:31 Well you know, days, weeks, and months passed. 46:38 And her daughter plunged into the horror, sort of 46:42 slow killer disease that is aids. 46:46 Especially at the time. 46:49 The nights were soon filled with the curdling screams 46:55 coming from this daughter's room. 47:03 Every night. 47:06 Again and again. 47:07 The same cry for help could be heard 47:11 in what seemed like endless nights of endless horrors, 47:15 "Mom, the pain. The pain. 47:19 Do something, please. 47:21 Do something." 47:24 Every night that refrain. 47:27 Every night, every night, every night. 47:30 And one night, the mother had enough. 47:33 She told herself that her daughter 47:36 had suffered long enough. 47:40 That's when she armed herself with both gun and courage 47:45 to commit the unthinkable act. 47:51 She would grab her gun, put an end to her daughter's misery, 47:55 and turn the gun on herself. 47:58 That was the plan. 48:02 Which brings us full circle to the beginning of our story 48:06 and the radio clock going off at the precise moment 48:12 when the mother was bringing herself to perpetrate 48:16 this macabre act. 48:20 God would use the radio to subject this military mother 48:25 to a friendly invasion of hope. 48:30 To be specific, The Voice of Hope; 48:35 La Voz de la Esperanza. 48:38 The name of the radio program that I had the privilege of 48:42 serving for the better part of two decades. 48:46 You know, we started as the Voice of Prophecy. 48:51 But within two years, our founding speaker got permission 48:56 from H.M.S. Richards, Sr., who was a very understanding man. 49:04 He's kind of my hero. 49:05 I love that man. 49:09 I read everything that he writes. 49:12 People in Avon Park know that I just, you know. 49:19 So our founding speaker had said... 49:22 You know, prophecy at that time in the 40's... 49:26 This was 1942. 49:30 It's a term that a lot of people out there in Latin America 49:34 don't even know. 49:36 And frankly, they're a little scared of it. 49:38 "'Prophecy,' we don't know what that is. 49:41 But we don't think it's good." 49:44 So he, even though he would talk about prophecy, 49:47 you know, all of that like Richard Sr. would, at the 49:51 beginning for the first few years... 49:53 It was really the sermons of H.M.S. being translated 49:57 by him and he was delivering those sermons until he finally 50:01 got the green light to do his own stuff. 50:04 But he got permission to change the name to, The Voice of Hope. 50:12 So our program has, from I think 1946 or 1947, been called, 50:19 The Voice of Hope. 50:22 Now everybody relates to hope. 50:27 I don't care what your background is, 50:30 I don't care what country you come from, 50:32 I don't care what religion you have or don't have, 50:36 you relate to hope. 50:37 So The Voice of Hope was a very user friendly name, even today. 50:43 Sometimes we have people, John, just writing to us 50:46 to congratulate us on our name. 50:50 "I love your name." 50:51 The Voice of Hope. 50:54 Well, God used the program. 51:01 People, this isn't a made up story. 51:06 This is real. 51:09 She was pulling on the trigger. 51:12 She had begun to pull on the trigger. 51:16 Her hand trembling, you know. 51:18 And she was trying to find the courage to do it, you know. 51:22 I'm sure crying, bawling her eyes out. 51:27 All of a sudden, the program came on. 51:31 The radio came on, the radio alarm clock. 51:36 She hadn't put in on that time. 51:39 Now who do you think turned that radio on? 51:44 At the precise moment. 51:49 And she started hearing a hopeful message. 51:54 A hopeful message. 51:57 The message led this desperate mother and her dying daughter 52:02 to the cross of Christ. 52:05 And eventually to Bible studies. 52:08 And then to the baptismal tank, 52:11 where they both made a public confession 52:14 of their faith in the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ. 52:18 Some of you watching need to do the same. 52:23 You know, some of you, I bet there are some of you, 52:26 I've known some of you, who are watching this station 52:30 for years now and you're convicted. 52:36 But you haven't made a decision. 52:39 I'll tell you, in Latin America the last crusade 52:43 I gave in Mexico, I was able to take my wife. 52:48 Oh, what a delight when you can take your wife. 52:53 Oh people, you don't know how many years 52:58 in bad motels and hotels, in la cucaracha inn. 53:04 You know. 53:06 I mean, how many nights alone, oh. 53:14 And so, what a delight. 53:16 You know, now that my children are grown up... 53:20 My oldest boy works in the Hope Channel. 53:22 You know, he's got that show, Cross Connections. 53:25 And the others are graduated from college 53:31 and they're working. 53:32 And so, anyway. 53:35 Now when I get the occasional invitation, 53:37 I turn about 9 out of 10 of them. 53:40 Because I'm a pastor now, you know. 53:42 But if I go somewhere, she comes with me. 53:47 And last year, I had to fulfill a commitment that I had 53:52 made before I accepted the call to Avon Park. 53:56 It was a national satellite crusade in Chile. 54:01 It's wonderful. 54:04 And my wife is from Chile. 54:06 And she hadn't been back in 32 years. 54:10 And she's like fourth or fifth generation Adventist, 54:15 on both sides. 54:18 Her father was an evangelist. 54:20 I worked for her father as a Bible worker 54:24 before I met her. 54:26 You see. 54:27 And so I got his okay, see. 54:30 I got his stamp of approval before I... 54:34 And we did a crusade, and it wasn't very successful. 54:37 But it was highly successful for me, that crusade. 54:41 But anyway, it's a pleasure to be with my wife when I can. 54:49 But you know, I travel places now. 54:52 There was this young man, we were in this restaurant 54:56 together, and this young man, you know, that puckish hair, 55:00 you know, tattoos everywhere. 55:02 Chains, and all of this stuff. 55:04 And he came to me and patted me on the back. 55:10 You know, I was about to pay, you know, there in line. 55:14 And he started talking to me and couldn't talk, 55:18 started crying. 55:20 I said, "What's going on here?" 55:21 And he said, "Oh," he said, "I watch you on 3ABN all the time." 55:29 He said, "You have no idea," he said, "you have no idea 55:33 how your messages have helped me." 55:36 And so he is coming to Christ. 55:39 He's coming to Christ. 55:41 And I encourage him to do so. 55:44 He said, "I'm going to get baptized soon." 55:48 Well you know, this story is a real story. 55:52 And I got a letter from this lady... 55:58 ...telling me about the story... 56:01 ...and how the Lord gave her daughter a reprieve. 56:07 The pain went away, you know, for about a year and a half. 56:11 You know, they had a beautiful time together. 56:15 Now the daughter passed away. 56:17 But she said, "Pastor, yeah I miss her. 56:22 But I'm happy. 56:25 I'm happy. 56:26 Because I'm going to see her again. 56:29 And Jesus is coming soon." 56:33 So, you know, in Nicaragua and everywhere else, 56:40 Jesus is still the Savior of the world. 56:45 And He loves every one of us. 56:47 He loves every mother out there. 56:50 Mom, if you're listening, that benediction, 56:54 that blessing is for you. 56:57 Jesus loves you. 56:58 He says He's going to take care of you. 57:01 At this moment right now, turn to Him. 57:05 Open your heart to Him. 57:07 Dedicate your children to Him. 57:10 Find a congregation, a church, and join it. 57:15 And dedicate your life to the Lord. 57:19 And you will hear those same words, 57:21 "I will take care of you." 57:23 Like He took care of His earthly mother, 57:25 He will take care of every mother. 57:28 That's you. |
Revised 2014-12-17