Anchors of Truth

The Danger of Refusing God

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: Pr. John Lomacang

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Series Code: AOT

Program Code: AOT000140


00:12 Welcome to Anchors Of Truth
00:15 live from the 3ABN Worship Center.
00:22 Hi, I'm Brian Hamilton.
00:25 It is my privilege and pleaser to welcome you once again
00:30 back to the 3ABN worship studio, worship center,
00:37 for another Anchors Of Truth.
00:40 And we bring these Anchors Of Truth
00:42 live to you every couple of months or so.
00:46 And each time, we make a presentation of a subject
00:51 that's vital for Christians to know and understand.
00:54 This particular series called, The Danger Zone,
00:58 is no exception.
01:01 We have been blessed with four parts of a five part series
01:06 on danger; The Danger of Neglect,
01:10 The Danger of Unbelief, The Danger of Not Maturing,
01:16 and then most recently, The Danger of Drawing Back.
01:23 Elder Lomacang, John Lomacang, the pastor of our Thompsonville
01:27 church, will present in just a few minutes,
01:31 The Danger of Refusing God.
01:35 So if you're joining us on television, you're coming
01:37 to us on internet or radio, don't leave.
01:41 Stay with us, because you won't want to miss
01:44 the last presentation, The Danger of Refusing God.
01:52 I want to have a little fun with Pastor Lomacang
01:54 if I could for just a minute.
01:57 When I was a kid, I enjoyed toy stores.
02:01 And I think most of us as children did.
02:04 We like going into toy stores.
02:06 And when I was a kid and you went into a toy store,
02:08 they had these little toys that you could wind up.
02:12 Nowadays, they don't wind up.
02:13 They just run on batteries, you know.
02:16 But back in yesteryear they wound them up.
02:19 It could be a little train or a car, or it might be
02:23 a stuffed animal.
02:25 And you would wind that thing up and then it would go.
02:29 And I was mesmerized by watching those little toys go.
02:33 Well you know, if you want to wind up our own Pastor Lomacang,
02:38 give him a series of sermons to present.
02:41 And boy does he get wound up.
02:44 And we know that from our last presentation, don't we.
02:48 He was wound up.
02:49 So you'll want to stay with us for, The Danger of Refusing God.
02:54 But before Elder Lomacang comes and makes the presentation,
02:59 we'll be privileged to have Yvonne Lewis
03:03 sing, Amazing Grace.
03:05 Let me tell you a little bit about Yvonne.
03:07 Yvonne is the manager of one of our newest networks,
03:14 Dare To Dream.
03:16 And it's for inner city minorities.
03:19 That's the focus of Dare To Dream.
03:22 And if you have not had a chance to see Dare To Dream,
03:26 one of the easiest ways you can do that
03:29 is just go to the 3ABN home page.
03:32 3ABN.org Go to the home page.
03:36 And right under our logo and name, you'll see a
03:38 series of buttons.
03:40 They happen to be blue right now.
03:42 Blue buttons.
03:43 The first button, you just press that button.
03:46 It says, "Watch and Listen."
03:48 And on the list of broadcasts you'll find Dare To Dream.
03:52 In fact, Yvonne, I think it's the bottom one
03:55 on the list, is it not?
03:57 Yes it is.
03:58 You'll need to go there and check it out.
04:00 I just know it's on there.
04:01 It's the bottom one.
04:02 But remember, those who come first will be last,
04:07 and those last will be first.
04:08 The greatest will be least, and the least greatest.
04:11 So the fact that it's on the bottom is no problem.
04:12 Just hit it and get acquainted with one of our newest
04:18 networks or channels, Dare To Dream.
04:22 So Yvonne is going to bless us with the song, Amazing Grace.
04:26 And after Yvonne finishes, the next voice that you'll hear
04:29 will be the voice of our own pastor, Pastor John Lomacang.
04:52 Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound
04:59 that saved a wretch like me.
05:07 I once was lost but now I'm found,
05:15 was blind but now I see.
05:27 T'was Grace that taught my heart to fear,
05:35 and Grace my fears relieved.
05:43 How precious did that Grace appear
05:50 the hour I first believed.
06:02 Through many dangers, toils and snares
06:10 I have already come;
06:18 'Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far,
06:25 and Grace will lead me home.
06:37 When we've been there ten thousand years,
06:45 bright shining as the sun,
06:53 we've no less days to sing God's praise
07:01 than when we've first begun.
07:12 Amazing Grace.
07:36 Thank you, Yvonne. Amen.
07:39 That's what this series is all about;
07:40 the amazing grace of the Lord.
07:45 I don't think we're going to know how amazing His grace is
07:47 until we're at that first banquet.
07:51 I've been sitting back there thinking about that
07:53 very theme in my mind;
07:56 the amazing thought that these hands of mine
08:00 will one day touch the hand of God.
08:02 How amazing that thought is.
08:04 The God who made all of the unseen worlds,
08:08 the unnumbered stars, and solar systems, and galaxies;
08:13 one day we'll be able to sit down and watch God
08:16 remake earth all over again.
08:18 Then hear Him say, "Welcome, come ye blessed of My Father.
08:21 Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the
08:24 foundation of the world."
08:26 That you for that kind introduction, Brian.
08:29 If I'm wound up, it's because I've been looking at
08:32 Jesus all week long.
08:34 You cannot behold the glory of God and not be excited about it.
08:38 But this most solemn ending to our series entitled,
08:41 The Danger Zone, with the final topic,
08:44 The Danger of Refusing God.
08:46 Before we open the Word together,
08:48 let's go to the Lord in prayer.
08:50 Gracious Father in heaven, we shutter at the thought of
08:55 ever saying no to You, of ever walking away from the
08:59 invitation of our lifetime.
09:03 The thought permeates my mind, "To whom shall we go,
09:06 and to what shall we cling, if we refuse so great
09:13 an invitation."
09:15 And so, Father, as we close out our journey through the
09:18 book of Hebrews, may we close it out with a resolve
09:21 to continue to go forward, to say yes to God
09:24 when He speaks to our hearts.
09:26 So send Your Spirit now that He may speak to us.
09:30 In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
09:36 Yesterday when I was sitting at the chiropractor's office
09:39 getting some therapy on my neck, I picked up a TIME magazine
09:44 that I began to read the article about Flight MH17.
09:49 You know, Malaysia Airlines.
09:51 What an unfortunate airline over the last series of
09:54 six months or more.
09:56 It's an airline that has been so terribly damaged by
09:58 unfortunate events one after the other.
10:02 But the reason the article caught my attention is because
10:04 they said that, in the speculative world of aviation,
10:09 they said that the pilot on Flight MH17, as he was
10:14 flying to his destination, as he approached the region
10:19 where the accident occurred, he said he felt a little
10:21 uncomfortable, and he said, "I'm going to transition
10:24 to a different location."
10:26 He thought he was transitioning away
10:29 from the danger zone, when in fact he transitioned
10:32 into the danger zone.
10:35 And then they showed six other flights that preceded him
10:39 and the courses and the routes that they took.
10:40 They had flown around and above and below.
10:42 And he thought, he thought, he thought he was
10:47 flying away from the danger zone.
10:50 And the article starts, "He flew into the danger zone."
10:54 And I thought about that.
10:55 The Lord gave me that article towards the end of the series.
10:58 And the reason I'm being so emphatic about
11:00 what I'm pointing out is because it doesn't make sense
11:02 for the people of God to base their destination on feeling
11:06 that they're transitioning out of the danger zone.
11:09 We've got to know from God's Word that we are
11:12 far clear of the danger zone.
11:16 That's why the book of Hebrews winds down.
11:18 If you take the time to read the book of Hebrews,
11:20 it is in fact a logistical journey of the life of
11:26 the children of Israel.
11:27 Every particular.
11:29 And today you'll find out the two opposites,
11:31 as I wind down the message today.
11:34 But Paul, I believe, winds down the book with an emphatic
11:39 appeal to hold on.
11:41 He says, "Hold on. Don't let go.
11:45 Don't give up."
11:46 The apostle reminds us that we have come too far
11:50 to turn back now.
11:52 He says to the church, "Be encouraged.
11:54 It's not easy, but it's going to be worth it."
11:56 Can you say amen today?
11:58 It is not easy being a Christian.
12:00 But when we get to where we're headed,
12:02 it is going to be worth it.
12:03 I begin by using the ending scripture that I read
12:07 in the last presentation.
12:09 So I point your attention to Hebrews chapter 10
12:12 verse 36 to verse 39.
12:16 This is the scripture of encouragement
12:18 to keep going forward.
12:19 Do not draw back.
12:20 The writer of Hebrews says...
12:32 In other words, hold on. Don't let go.
12:35 Don't turn back.
12:48 Can the church say hallelujah to that?
12:50 He's coming.
12:52 It's been a long time, but He's on His way.
13:14 We are not going back.
13:15 What do you say?
13:16 We're going forward.
13:17 We've come too far.
13:18 As the song writer said, "It's too late to turn back now."
13:22 We've got to go forward.
13:24 Regardless of what comes our way
13:25 we've got to continue to going forward.
13:27 We are reminded of the cost of faith.
13:29 We are reminded of the reward of faith.
13:32 And the faithful are now silent, but as we read their
13:35 record today, they are silent now, but they will not
13:38 be silent eternally.
13:41 And so come with me to the wall of faith.
13:44 Come with me as we trace the testimonies.
13:46 They have left a record of testimony to strengthen
13:50 our resolve to go forward, to trust God,
13:53 and not to refuse God.
13:55 We begin with Abel.
13:57 Remember, remember, my brothers and sisters,
13:59 to be faithful like Abel.
14:01 His choice to be faithful cost him his life.
14:04 But God is able and God will reward him in the resurrection.
14:08 What do you say?
14:10 Be faithful like Abel.
14:12 How long has he been waiting?
14:14 He trusted God at the inception of his life.
14:17 And although he's waited long, He that shall come will come
14:21 and will not tarry.
14:23 Don't forget to walk with God like Enoch.
14:25 He walked so closely to God that one writer said,
14:28 "One day God said to Enoch, 'Enoch, come to My house.
14:33 It's closer than going back to yours.'"
14:36 Enoch walked closely with God.
14:38 We've got to have a daily close walk with God.
14:41 We've got to know He's with us.
14:43 We've got to be able to talk to Him as He's
14:45 right there by our side.
14:47 Walk with God like Enoch did.
14:50 Then be steadfast like Noah.
14:53 In a generation that wrote God off, Noah kept believing,
14:56 he kept preaching, he kept building.
14:58 And like Noah, one day we too will walk through the door
15:02 of our eternal deliverance.
15:04 What do you say?
15:06 Keep preaching, keep believing, keep building.
15:08 Like Abraham and Sarah, as they eventually learned,
15:12 we have to be patient and learn to wait on the Lord.
15:16 Gloria, God's promises are sure and His blessings
15:19 are never late.
15:21 Abraham and Sarah had to learn that lesson.
15:23 It may seem like God's timetable is out of harmony with yours,
15:26 but be patient.
15:28 God is always on time.
15:30 Like Isaac, don't forget to pass the blessing on
15:33 to the next generation.
15:34 Like Jacob, we must refuse to let God go until He blesses us.
15:40 Like Joseph, endure undeserved trial.
15:43 Because God is going to turn it around one day.
15:49 Like Moses, know that being raised in Egypt
15:52 prepares you for the call on your life.
15:54 Remember like Joshua that God can bring down the walls
15:58 in your life.
15:59 And like Rahab the harlot, don't forget that God
16:02 can redeem you from your past.
16:04 What do you say?
16:05 We don't have to be eternally identified by who we were
16:09 if we keep trusting in God, if we keep believing in God.
16:12 If we do not neglect the grace of God,
16:15 one day God is going to turn our lives around
16:18 for the good, for the best.
16:20 And that's going to be eternally.
16:21 What do you say?
16:22 But I'd like to tell you more, but as the song writer said,
16:25 "Word of God, speak."
16:27 Come with me to Hebrews chapter 11
16:29 verses 32 to 40.
16:31 And notice what else we are told to not forget.
16:34 "And what more shall I say?
16:36 For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon...
16:48 Look at what they went through, and be encouraged.
17:29 And you think our life is difficult?
18:06 Can you say hallelujah?
18:07 You see, brothers and sisters, the day is coming that
18:10 God is going to place a crown on Abel's head
18:12 and on mine at the same time.
18:15 God is going to crown Abraham and Sarah
18:17 for their righteousness as God is going to crown
18:20 John and Angie for their righteousness.
18:22 And it's all because of Him.
18:24 God is going to bless us all at the same time.
18:27 We're going to be at the banquet at the same time.
18:30 We're going to walk through the gates into the New Jerusalem
18:32 on the same occasion.
18:33 So it may be tough, but when the days get difficult,
18:37 revisit the wall of the faithful.
18:39 Revisit what they went through to get where they are.
18:42 Revisit the steps they took.
18:45 And if your steps become difficult, just remember,
18:48 it is not as bad as it use to be,
18:51 and it's going to get better eternally.
18:52 What do you say?
18:54 And don't forget, just when you think it's not worth
18:56 pressing on, we can get off of our bench of excuses
19:00 and look around us.
19:02 Look at what Paul continues to say to us,
19:04 Hebrews chapter 12 verses 1 and 2,
19:06 as he unfolds those things that bring us faith.
19:10 He says...
19:13 Let's read this together.
19:53 That's where Jesus is now.
19:55 But he tells us, as one of the churches in Revelation,
19:58 "If you are faithful, you'll get the chance to
20:01 sit with Me on My throne."
20:03 Come on, think about that.
20:05 Not sit in the White House,
20:07 not sit on the seat of congress,
20:09 not sit as the head of the United Nations,
20:11 but sit with the King of the universe on His throne.
20:14 What a privilege.
20:16 But sometimes we think it's so ethereal and so far away
20:18 that we don't grasp that.
20:21 We don't think of that as a reality.
20:22 Sometimes we think of that as a really good Bible story.
20:25 But I want to tell you, when I think about what God has
20:28 done in my own life individually,
20:31 in our lives collectively, I know that it's not
20:34 coincidence, I know it's not an accident.
20:35 So because God has promised, He who has promised is faithful.
20:40 One day, we're going to sit down with Jesus on His throne.
20:45 Amen?
20:46 And do you know what?
20:47 Even if I don't sit on His throne,
20:48 I'll just be glad to be there.
20:50 What about you?
20:51 I don't need a mansion, just give me a sleeping bag,
20:54 as long as I make it into the New Jerusalem,
20:56 as long as the door closes behind me.
20:57 What do you say?
20:59 I don't care if my name is called first,
21:00 as long as it's called.
21:02 I don't care where I sit on the table,
21:04 as long as I sit on the table.
21:06 I don't need many crowns, I just need a single star.
21:11 I just want to be there. What about you?
21:13 We've got to start thinking of the eternal world.
21:16 We've got to go beyond the muck and mire of this daily life
21:20 that the devil brings to us that seeks to press us
21:23 into this mold of depression.
21:25 And you know what?
21:26 I think about those who live up in Michigan.
21:28 When we went up there for a funeral not too long ago,
21:31 for Owen Troy's funeral, somebody said to me,
21:34 "This corner of the world is a place where depression is high.
21:38 People hardly see the sun."
21:40 God's got an answer for that, because the sun
21:42 will never set in the New Jerusalem.
21:44 What do you say?
21:45 There will be no depressed people there.
21:47 I'm looking forward for that day for another reason.
21:49 I've got two mothers I'm going to meet in the resurrection.
21:52 And I'm praying for the two fathers.
21:54 I hope they're there, but if not, I'm just going to be
21:57 glad that God is going to call my name.
21:59 So you've got to look at these.
22:00 You've got to, when the world is saying it's not
22:03 going to work out, you've got to look unto Jesus,
22:06 the Author and Finisher of your faith.
22:09 You've got to sing when nobody else is singing.
22:11 You've got to pray when nobody wants to pray.
22:13 You've got to talk to God when it doesn't seem like
22:16 a logical thing to do.
22:18 When you feel down, you've got to look up.
22:20 When you feel broken, you've got to remember that
22:22 God has held you together.
22:24 Oh, I look at the life of those.
22:26 And what I want you to know today is, heaven has invested
22:29 in the outcome of our story.
22:31 Do you know that angels have watched over us
22:35 since the day of our birth?
22:36 Amen, somebody?
22:38 I remember reading in Ellen White's writings one day,
22:40 and some people get kind of fickle about that,
22:42 but I use to always think I had one angel.
22:43 She said, "No, no, no.
22:44 In this world we have one angel on our left,
22:47 and one angel on our right."
22:48 And then all of a sudden, the words of David make sense.
22:51 "The angel of the Lord encampeth..." What?
22:54 "...round about those that fear Him, and deliver them."
22:58 Well, if I have one angel or two, I'm going to be able to
23:01 recognize them, because they will have
23:03 gray hair just like me.
23:07 How difficult it has been.
23:10 But day by day when we are driving and we are delivered,
23:13 when something that could have happened doesn't happen,
23:16 it's because the angels of the Lord have been assigned
23:19 to watch over us from the day that we were created.
23:23 But not only that is good news; the Holy Spirit
23:25 has wrestled with us since the day of our new birth.
23:29 And praise the Lord, I can say today
23:31 the Holy Spirit hasn't left me.
23:32 Come on, somebody.
23:34 The Holy Spirit hasn't left us.
23:35 This ideology that we must live in the sight of God
23:37 without the Holy Spirit is not true.
23:40 Jesus will one day end His mediatorial work,
23:43 but we'll never make it without the Holy Spirit.
23:45 Don't ever get those mixed up.
23:47 He said, "I'll never leave you, I'll never forsake you."
23:50 The Holy Spirit is going to be there
23:52 and He will wrestle with us.
23:55 Even at the hour of our greatest doubt, He will sustain us
23:59 if we trust in the Lord.
24:02 Not only is heaven invested by the angel
24:05 and the Holy Spirit, but God.
24:06 Think of the investment of God.
24:08 He gave His only Son.
24:10 His only Son.
24:12 Not to good people, but in that while we were yet sinners
24:16 Christ did what?
24:17 Died for us.
24:19 What a thing to do; to lay down your glory,
24:21 to leave an unsullied world, a place where angels
24:24 adore you, to come down and face the fury
24:28 of a demon cut loose.
24:30 All of that.
24:32 And I have been told if there was only one,
24:34 Jesus would have come.
24:36 Praise the Lord for that.
24:39 And think about the investment of Jesus.
24:41 He saved us, He claimed us,
24:44 and He's building a home for every one of us.
24:47 What do you say?
24:49 There's nothing that heaven wouldn't do just to see
24:52 that we will make it through.
24:53 Look at Romans 8 verses 31 and 32.
24:55 You'll understand where this is going, about refusing God.
24:58 I'm going to take a turn on you so sharp that
25:00 you're going to have to stay with me.
25:01 There's nothing that heaven wouldn't do
25:03 just to see that we make it through.
25:04 Look at Romans 8 verse 31 and verse 32.
25:09 Paul says...
25:30 We've got a guarantee.
25:32 We don't just have a judge, we've got an attorney.
25:37 And He's the same person.
25:38 Amen, someone.
25:39 I remember years ago when I discovered what
25:41 Revelation actually meant.
25:42 I was reading and studying Revelation.
25:44 I have these small little very thin books,
25:46 about the thickness of Steps To Christ,
25:48 and it breaks down the seven churches.
25:49 One deals with each of the seven churches.
25:52 And I was sitting one day wondering what was this
25:54 black stone and white stone all about.
25:58 And I discovered that in Roman courts,
26:01 if the jury didn't reach a verdict, Steve, it would be
26:05 up to you to decide your fate.
26:06 And what they did is they brought out a bag
26:09 that you couldn't see into.
26:11 And in that bag was a white stone and a black stone.
26:14 And think of the terror of that, Karen.
26:16 You have to reach in that bag.
26:17 You pick the black stone, it's certainly death.
26:20 But you pick that white stone, it's certainly life.
26:24 And how terrifying it was for the one that had been accused
26:29 to reach in the bag of his fate and reach for the stone
26:34 that would set him free.
26:35 And then I read the text, hallelujah,
26:38 I read the text where Jesus said in Revelation,
26:41 "I will give you a white stone."
26:43 Come on, amen, somebody.
26:45 You don't have to reach in there.
26:46 "I'm your lawyer, here's a white stone.
26:48 I'll give you a white stone with a new name on it.
26:51 I'll not only set you free, but I'll change your name."
26:54 And you will have not only a new identity,
26:57 but like Jacob changed to Israel, your name will
27:00 no longer be connected to your deceptive past.
27:03 That's the good news.
27:05 So when I read that He will do everything for us,
27:08 He will freely give us all things,
27:10 I want to tell you today, Jesus gave me a white stone.
27:13 Come on, what about you?
27:15 A white stone with a new name on it.
27:17 Sometimes we spend so much time talking about all the
27:20 bad things of life.
27:21 I think sometimes we should get our chairs designed
27:24 so that we can have it lean back automatically.
27:26 So that if we can't look up, at least our chairs will
27:29 recline so we can look up.
27:31 We need to look unto Jesus,
27:34 the Author and Finisher of our faith.
27:37 And I look at what they've gone through, and you know,
27:39 I think about some of us and we complain about the
27:40 most mundane things.
27:42 Some of us rarely miss a meal, and we talk about hunger.
27:46 Did you read what they went through?
27:48 The clouds begin to gather and we run for cover.
27:51 The temperature drops and we talk about how cold we are.
27:53 Some of them slept in dungeons and lion's dens.
27:57 Read the book, if you can, Foxe's Book Of Martyrs.
28:00 Oh how tragic it is to read.
28:01 You've got to have a strong faith to read that.
28:03 It'll mess you up.
28:04 It'll give you some bad dreams if you ain't close to Jesus.
28:09 But we haven't gone through anything
28:11 compared to those who have gone before us.
28:12 We haven't gone through nothing...
28:18 ...compared to what they went through.
28:20 We haven't seen the enemy cut loose.
28:24 But just give it some time.
28:27 That's why if you don't have faith in God now,
28:29 if your faith in God is not being strengthened day by day,
28:32 there is no way that you're going to stand before your fate
28:35 and be willing to give your life if you have not given
28:38 your life to the Lord on a day by day basis.
28:42 Sometimes the light goes out for a few minutes and we
28:44 think the world is ending.
28:46 They spent hours and days in dungeons and darkness,
28:49 but they trusted God.
28:50 And you know what?
28:52 When you trust God, even in the darkest moment
28:55 the light of God continues to shine.
28:57 He is the light of the world.
28:59 Fear not what happens in the darkness of your life,
29:02 because the light of the world is always there with you.
29:07 When I think about the hours that Paul spent
29:12 in his moments of persecution.
29:14 I read his letter.
29:15 And if you ask the apostle Paul to tell you his story
29:18 about how he held on, how he did not refuse God,
29:21 he will tell you the story.
29:22 Listen to his story.
29:23 2 Corinthians 11 verses 23 to 27.
29:26 Listen to what the apostle says.
29:28 He tells us his account.
29:30 He tells us how he found courage by looking back
29:33 to find faith to look forward.
29:34 Notice what he says.
30:09 Have mercy, somebody.
30:24 And he kept trusting God.
30:29 I wonder at what point we would have said,
30:30 you know, "That's it.
30:32 I ain't staying in Thompsonville,
30:33 I'm going through too much."
30:41 When I get to heaven, I'm going to ask Paul,
30:44 "How did you do it?"
30:46 Because you read this record and it's so amazing
30:49 at what he went through.
30:51 He had had to have an encounter
30:54 with God to make it through that.
30:56 Amen?
30:57 Sometimes you wonder, "How am I going to make it?"
30:59 If you think your day is bad, check Paul's life out.
31:02 If you think his life ain't bad enough, check out what the
31:04 faithful before him went through.
31:06 And that will tell you, if God can deliver them in their time
31:09 of difficulty, God will deliver us in our time of difficulty.
31:13 Amen?
31:14 I think of the fiery furnace.
31:15 You know, it was fire to the Babylonians,
31:17 but it was cool to the children of Israel.
31:20 In the lion's den...
31:22 I've looked at this video recently, there's a
31:23 guy called, the lion whisperer.
31:26 I'm always amazed by that.
31:27 It's all over the internet.
31:28 This guy hugs lions daily.
31:30 These massive cats, when they see him they run to him
31:35 and jump on his neck, and they rub their cheek
31:37 and their face together.
31:39 And they say, well he raised all those lions.
31:42 I hope he did.
31:44 Because if he picks up the wrong one,
31:46 he'll discover that the nature of the lion is to destroy.
31:49 It's amazing to me.
31:50 I see him, he walks into the...
31:52 Even his camera crew, as he walks into the
31:54 jungles of Africa, his camera crew is surrounded by
31:57 strong caging, lest they lose their lives.
32:01 But he walks among a prey, he walks among a pride of lions,
32:05 both male and female.
32:06 And they come to him, 700, 800, 1200 pounds.
32:10 And he just lays on their belly.
32:13 I'm telling you, I said to my wife today when she
32:15 showed me this video, I said, "Honey, don't worry about it.
32:17 Our day is coming."
32:19 Amen?
32:21 The lion and the lamb will lie down together.
32:25 And we're going to get a chance to experience what it's like to
32:27 finally get a lion to hug us.
32:29 Amen? Without any fear.
32:31 But these who went before us spent the night...
32:34 Daniel is the only one that knew before the lion whisperer
32:37 what it's like to spend the night with hungry lions
32:40 and come out in the morning unscathed.
32:42 Only God can keep us through the difficulties of our lives.
32:46 What do you say, church?
32:47 Paul looks over the shoulder of his shredded garments
32:49 and asks us the question in Romans 8 and verse 35.
32:53 Notice what he says.
32:54 He asks us...
33:10 I hope the answer is no.
33:11 Because some people leave just because they get a bad look.
33:16 "Where have you been?"
33:17 "I didn't like the way so and so looked at me
33:19 a couple of weeks ago."
33:22 And you left?
33:23 You know, I've always said, if you don't like the way that
33:25 people look at you, let them leave.
33:27 You stay.
33:29 Right?
33:30 Somebody is going to give you a hard time.
33:33 Does it make sense that I miss out on heaven just because
33:35 you gave me a bad look?
33:37 Are you going to get off the plane because somebody
33:39 across the aisle gave you a bad look?
33:41 Come on, talk to me.
33:42 Absolutely not.
33:43 To get off of an airplane because of a bad look
33:46 is just as ridiculous as leaving the church
33:49 because of a bad look.
33:50 Let that person deal with his or her issues,
33:53 but I'm not going anywhere.
33:54 What do you say?
33:56 "Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine,
33:58 or nakedness, or peril, or the sword?"
34:00 We don't go through any of that.
34:01 We've got to get some thick skin.
34:03 One of the problems with modern Christianity is,
34:07 it always talks about God's blessings.
34:09 You know, I think that I've heard some preachers,
34:11 you would think that the second half of the book of Hebrews
34:14 has been deleted, because they only talk about the blessings.
34:17 They never talk about the persecutions, the difficulty.
34:19 They never talk about the times that the prayer
34:21 was not answered.
34:22 They never talk about the moment that the life wasn't spared.
34:25 They never talk about when somebody did die in the Lord.
34:29 I want to tell you, if you die in the Lord
34:31 it's going to be okay, because there is a resurrection coming.
34:36 I read in Ellen White's writings, she said
34:37 sometimes we should not always pray for even the
34:40 young to be healed, because only God in His sovereignty
34:43 understands whether or not that person needs to be laid to rest
34:47 to be spared from the trouble that's coming.
34:50 So sometimes we're saying, "Lord, heal them."
34:52 "Lord, fix them." "Lord, deliver them."
34:55 We've got to say, "Let Your will be done."
34:58 Because only God is sovereign.
34:59 Only God sees the end from the beginning.
35:04 So when we lay to rest our loved ones,
35:06 we've got to know there's a better day coming.
35:11 When we consider the offers of this world,
35:14 the eternal realities are far greater.
35:17 Look at this, 2 Corinthians 4 verses 16 and 17.
35:22 Paul continues...
35:37 You know, I love this. I've embraced this text.
35:50 Now you understand why Moses chose to suffer affliction
35:53 with the people of God rather to enjoy the
35:56 pleasures of sin for a season.
35:59 Momentary pleasure cannot contribute to eternal joy.
36:04 Momentary pleasure eclipses the permanent joy
36:06 that God has in store for us.
36:08 And so when you're going through difficulty, Paul says,
36:10 "It's just light affliction.
36:11 It's just but a moment."
36:13 We know that.
36:14 Sometimes it lasts for longer than we want to.
36:16 But in the light of eternity, it wouldn't even be a thin line
36:20 on the scale of the eternal world that's waiting for us.
36:24 That's why Paul encourages us to follow in his footsteps.
36:27 Notice what he says in Romans 8 verses 37 to 39.
36:30 We haven't gotten to the refusing God yet.
36:32 That's going to be a twist toward the end.
36:34 But I'm building the foundation so that when we get there
36:37 you'll ask yourself the question,
36:39 "How could somebody go through and refuse a God
36:43 who can deliver us from all of that?"
36:46 Look at it, Romans 8 verse 37 to verse 39.
36:50 Whatever you go through, Paul says...
36:59 You've got to get persuaded.
37:01 You just can't be lightly convinced.
37:30 You've got to draw from the coldness of other people.
37:33 You can't wait for everybody to love you.
37:36 You've got to come to the place of solace that Jesus
37:39 loves you with an everlasting love.
37:43 You've got to come to the reality that not everybody is
37:45 going to even like you.
37:48 I had to learn that the hard way.
37:50 I think about the second church I pastored.
37:52 I kept getting offended.
37:54 People, you know, it seemed like some people didn't like me.
37:57 And I thought, "Was it something I did?"
37:58 And I fell into the category of trying to please everybody.
38:01 You know, there's no formula for success.
38:03 But the formula for failure is trying to please everybody.
38:07 I haven't found the formula for success.
38:09 But I've discovered this, as Jeremiah learned
38:13 when Jeremiah was faced as a young man with the
38:15 very same difficulty.
38:17 He was called to proclaim as a prophet of the children
38:19 of Israel, and he said, "Lord, I'm afraid of their faces."
38:25 And the Lord said, "Jeremiah, I'm going to be with you
38:28 and I'll give you a head as hard as flint.
38:32 Just do what I've called you to do."
38:34 Amen?
38:35 I remember after that second church,
38:37 I went to the third church.
38:38 And I remember after going through about
38:39 three and a half years of trials and tribulations,
38:41 I declared to the church one day, "I'm not going anywhere.
38:43 Y'all just need to stop trying to get rid of me."
38:46 Amen?
38:48 And we had two more years and four months
38:50 of good church attendance.
38:52 We had two more years, they figured the coalition
38:54 of destruction had to fall apart.
38:56 Because you know what?
38:57 You've got to be determined that no matter how difficult it gets,
39:00 you're going to keep on plowing through.
39:02 If God be for us, as we said this morning, what else?
39:04 Who can be against us?
39:06 When you think about Paul, you've got to take up
39:09 where the faithful have left off.
39:11 And when you think about taking up, it's a sobering thought.
39:15 Because to gain assurance from our faithful family
39:19 will inspire resilience.
39:21 To have their stories preserved will renew our hope.
39:24 Look at Romans 15 and verse 4.
39:26 This is an amazing thought.
39:28 Romans 15 and verse 4.
39:29 And then after this we're going to transition
39:31 into an area that will catch you slightly off guard.
39:34 Notice what he says in Romans 15 and verse 4.
39:38 "All these things we read," Paul says...
39:58 I want to testify before I turn the page.
40:04 This book...
40:09 Got so many different translations,
40:10 they're all in digital form.
40:12 But let me just tell you something.
40:13 If you want to find hope...
40:16 ...dive into this book.
40:19 You want to read a love letter?
40:21 Dive into this book.
40:23 You want some more wisdom?
40:25 Dive into this book.
40:27 Don't read it because you want to,
40:29 read it because you have to.
40:31 If you read it because you have to, you'll get to the place
40:34 where you'll read it because you want to.
40:37 It's not a normal book.
40:38 It's the only book that the devil fights tooth and nail
40:42 to keep us from.
40:44 He doesn't want to keep us from the movie guide.
40:47 He doesn't even want to keep us from other devotional books,
40:50 because there's no more concentration in any other book
40:53 about the love of God, and the power of God,
40:55 and the freedom of God, and the joy of God,
40:57 and the sustaining power of God than you find in this book.
41:02 It's like diluting your medication.
41:05 The person that wants to keep you sick
41:07 will dilute your medication.
41:09 The devil wants to dilute our medication by getting us
41:11 to look in every other direction other than the Word of God
41:14 where we find the only power and comfort
41:16 that can really resolve the issues of our human walk.
41:20 Even our spiritual walk.
41:21 This is the book.
41:23 And this whole week, I tell you...
41:26 You've got to see my little pod there.
41:27 I got a little, I got my chair, I finally got to the place
41:30 where I could get a comfortable chair.
41:31 Because, you know, if you sit down six or seven hours
41:34 days on end to work on sermons, you've got to
41:37 have something comfortable.
41:39 I've got all the Bible commentaries.
41:41 They're there and my extra materials are there.
41:44 But the closest book to me is the Bible.
41:48 It's the first source, it's the first reference guide.
41:51 It's the thing that you digest.
41:52 And you know what happens?
41:53 This is what happens to me after I do a series like this.
41:56 I get so fired up...
41:59 Not that you can tell.
42:02 But I get so fired up that I'm going to go, I don't get tired.
42:05 I mean, I just don't get tired.
42:07 I eat because I have to.
42:09 I finally understand, when I spend time in God's Word,
42:12 what Jesus meant when He said to the disciples
42:14 when they perceived that He was physically hungry,
42:17 He said to them, "I have food that you don't even know about."
42:22 And then He says, "My food is to do the
42:25 will of Him that sent me."
42:27 Brothers and sisters, the best...
42:33 That's the best diet, studying God's Word.
42:34 Come on help me out, somebody.
42:37 You could burn calories by eating this.
42:42 You'll be physically fit and spiritually fit
42:44 by spending more time in this book.
42:47 Amen.
42:49 When you get it together with...
42:51 I remember when one day I couldn't find my Bible.
42:55 And hours went by and I couldn't
42:57 remember what I had done with it.
42:58 Because sometimes I go from this Bible to the brown Bible.
43:01 When I travel, I take the lighter Bible.
43:03 Because my real Bible weighs about eight pounds.
43:06 And you know you're only allowed about so much weight.
43:08 And I thought one day, did I lose my Bible?
43:11 And the very thought that I almost lost it
43:13 brought me to a state of panic.
43:15 "Lord, where is my Bible."
43:17 You know what I'm talking about, Shelley?
43:18 "Where's my Bible?
43:19 I feel like I've lost my sustaining grace.
43:23 My battery pack has been unplugged."
43:27 That actually happened to me in the Heritage Singers,
43:29 until three or four days later when Federal Express
43:32 delivered my Bible to the ranch in Placerville.
43:34 Everybody in the group said, "Yea, John's got his Bible back.
43:38 Now we can talk to him."
43:43 I felt like I lost my reason to live.
43:46 My Bible.
43:48 And I tell you, my brethren, we've got to get such a
43:50 connection with our Bible now, because the danger is coming
43:53 when men are going to search from the east to the west,
43:55 from the north to the south.
43:56 There's a famine coming.
43:57 Not a famine for bread or for water,
43:59 but of the hearing of the Word of God.
44:01 How valuable it is whenever the Word of God is going forward
44:05 that we're there to ingest, digest, to masticate,
44:08 and to be nourished on what God is feeding us;
44:11 truly the bread of life.
44:13 What do you say?
44:15 But with such impeccable stories of robust
44:17 faith and unwavering dedication, you've got to ask the question,
44:22 why use the title, The Danger of Refusing God?
44:29 When I studied back into this particular story,
44:31 and I tell you, in putting all these sermons together,
44:33 this was the hardest one.
44:35 Because I couldn't fathom after reading all that I did
44:39 in the book of Hebrews, the hall of faith,
44:41 I couldn't fathom that knowing that, having that kind of
44:44 experience with God, will still lead somebody to refuse God
44:49 when He appealed for them to follow Him.
44:51 I couldn't figure that out.
44:52 And so I began to look behind the scenes,
44:54 and I discovered that Moses and Israel witnessed
44:58 the terrible power of God when Moses ascended Mount Sinai
45:02 to receive the Ten Commandments.
45:04 When you study that in the various writings,
45:06 you'll discover that the thunderous voice of God,
45:08 it's in Deuteronomy, it's in Numbers, it's there.
45:11 The thunderous voice of God, it's in Exodus.
45:15 His voice was so magnificent and so strong and so thunderous
45:18 that it made Moses and Israel tremble.
45:23 But they feared nothing,
45:26 they feared nothing but the voice of God.
45:28 They heard the voice of God, they saw the mountain glow
45:31 with the presence of God,
45:32 they heard the thunder on the mountain.
45:34 And they said, "There's only one thing that we fear
45:36 more than hearing the voice of God.
45:38 That is doing what God has asked us to do."
45:42 And the reason why God spoke to them in that manner
45:44 is He know the rebellion that was among them
45:47 that still had to be rooted out.
45:51 And so when God spoke with that voice of thunder,
45:53 it was somewhat of a, "Listen up.
45:57 Listen up, Israel.
45:59 Here's what I need to say."
46:02 And even though it was a spectacular event,
46:04 there was a problem.
46:06 There was a problem of what happened that day.
46:08 And Paul introduces that occasion kind of in the
46:11 context of; if you missed it, here it is again.
46:14 Look at Hebrews chapter 12.
46:15 Hebrews chapter 12 verses 22 to 24.
46:18 He takes us now behind the scenes of what happened
46:21 on Mount Sinai.
46:22 And he says to us, and he says to us,
46:26 "You may not have been there,
46:28 you haven't come to the mountain,
46:30 you haven't come to the mountain..."
46:32 Let's look at Hebrews chapter 12,
46:34 I believe that's where I am, verses 18 to 21.
46:37 Hebrews chapter 12 verses 18 to 21, he says...
46:44 We were not there.
46:51 "You weren't there."
46:59 Can you imagine that kind of thunderous voice and say,
47:01 "I don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear that."
47:23 Can you imagine?
47:24 That's the setting that Moses went forth to receive
47:29 the Ten Commandments.
47:32 It was such a spectacular, earth shattering,
47:35 mountain shaking event that Moses trembled to be
47:42 in the presence of that kind of power.
47:44 So powerful it was that he asked for a peak, and God said,
47:47 "You better hide in the rock, because if you don't,
47:50 it's lights out for you."
47:52 And the children of Israel heard, they heard the thunder,
47:55 they saw the lightening, and it brought to them great fear.
47:58 But there was a greater problem.
48:01 Even though they feared the voice of God,
48:03 they did not fear disobeying God.
48:07 Look at verse 22 to verse...
48:09 They feared the voice of God, but they did not fear
48:12 disobeying God.
48:13 Now let me put that into context.
48:15 When I was being raised, I want to tell you,
48:17 when I was being raised, and I heard my father's voice...
48:21 Anybody know what I'm talking about?
48:22 ...and I heard my father's voice, that was enough
48:26 to get me to straighten up
48:27 before we had a personal encounter.
48:29 You know what I mean?
48:31 He would walk through the house with his strong Barbadian accent
48:33 and he'd say, "Junior..."
48:37 And I remember that Mama earlier said,
48:39 "You wait till Papa gets home."
48:42 And when Papa came home and the voice of a trumpet
48:44 just resonated through that house, I knew what that meant.
48:48 And that was the moment that I came to him with such humble,
48:51 humble, such a subdued spirit.
48:53 I wasn't rebellious like when he was at work,
48:55 but I came and said, "Yes, papa."
48:59 You know how you do, right? You know how you do.
49:00 You come, you almost come like, "I repent.
49:03 Please don't beat me to death.
49:06 I repent. Don't hit me any further."
49:08 God put the fear of the Lord in them.
49:12 But it didn't change their attitude about refusing God.
49:17 They were not that fearful.
49:20 Because when the clouds were gone, and the thunder ceased,
49:24 and the lightening no longer flashed,
49:28 they got caught in one rebellious
49:31 situation after the other.
49:33 And then the writer of Hebrews said, "You weren't there.
49:37 You didn't have to go to that terrifying setting.
49:39 You were not there; God did not bring you
49:41 to the point of terror."
49:43 But he said, "God has something better for you."
49:45 Listen to what he says in verse 25 to verse 29
49:49 of Hebrews chapter 12.
49:50 Notice what he says.
49:51 Israel refused God, but this time God is not
49:55 just going to shake the mountain.
49:57 He said, "See that you do not refuse Him..."
50:12 If they didn't make it, and He only spoke on earth,
50:15 how are we going to make it, and this time
50:17 He's going to speak from heaven?
50:18 He goes on, "...whose voice then shook the earth..."
50:29 That means this is the last time.
50:47 That's what the shaking is all about.
50:50 When the shaking comes, the question is,
50:52 will we refuse God or will we continue trusting.
50:55 Look at verse 28.
51:22 Oh, I told you about that.
51:25 There are two seats at the end of this journey;
51:27 smoking and non-smoking.
51:29 I'm going to pick a non-smoking one.
51:31 Come on help me out, somebody.
51:34 That's why I sell fire insurance.
51:37 Fire insurance.
51:38 I don't want to be lost in the fires of destruction.
51:40 Because our God is a consuming fire.
51:43 I once heard a preacher say, "God is not going to
51:46 destroy sinners."
51:47 And I had a problem with that.
51:50 Because the Lord said He is going to deal with sin.
51:52 And then he went and explained himself.
51:53 And I thought, that's a very interesting take on
51:56 the destruction of God.
51:58 That is a very interesting approach to the fact that
52:00 God is going to eradicate sin.
52:02 God will eradicate sin.
52:03 But when he explained it this way, he did this in the
52:06 context of the fact that God is love.
52:08 He said that the final destruction of the wicked
52:13 is going to happen when they receive the final embrace
52:18 from a God of love.
52:20 When they have not been fire proofed,
52:22 there's only one thing that can happen.
52:25 When you are not immortal and incorruptible,
52:28 and your final embrace from a God of love
52:30 is that of a consuming fire, there's nothing else to happen
52:34 but that person will be consumed.
52:36 Oh how sad it's going to be when God reigns fire down from heaven
52:41 on earth in the sight of men.
52:43 It doesn't make sense.
52:44 And I made up my mind.
52:45 I want to tell you, there are days it's not easy to be a
52:47 Christian, but I'm making my declaration very clear.
52:49 I'm going to keep trusting God.
52:51 I'm going to go all the way through.
52:52 What about you, church?
52:53 I don't want to be lost.
52:55 You know, you get to the place where you think,
52:57 "Oh, is it really worth it?"
52:58 Don't base your worth on what happens in your life
53:01 on a day by day basis.
53:02 Because when Paul really narrows down the story,
53:06 he does a comparison that really caught me
53:09 and pulled me in center stage, which made me say,
53:12 "Praise God that's not the only part of the story."
53:16 You see, if I made my decision to follow God because
53:19 I don't want to be consumed, that's a fire escape religion.
53:23 I'm just afraid of the fire.
53:25 I want to serve God because I'm not afraid of the fire,
53:28 but I'm in love with the Lord.
53:29 Come on, somebody.
53:30 I want to be saved because I love the Lord,
53:32 not because I'm afraid of the fire.
53:34 And then I discovered, as the book of Hebrews
53:36 from beginning to end, all of a sudden it dawned on me
53:40 that this is not a comparison between Abel, and Moses,
53:44 and Sampson, and Barak, and Abraham, and Sarah,
53:47 and all the other names of the faithful.
53:49 But this is a comparison between the weakness of man
53:56 and the superiority of Christ.
53:59 You see, our story doesn't have to end like their story did,
54:04 our story doesn't have to wind up like their story did,
54:07 because of the superiority of Christ.
54:09 They missed out on the greatest blessing of all the ages.
54:12 They refused the blessing of God.
54:14 But Abel didn't. Come on.
54:15 Enoch didn't, Noah didn't, Abraham and Sarah didn't.
54:19 Isaac didn't miss out.
54:21 Jacob, and Joseph, and Moses, and Joshua, and Rahab,
54:24 and Sampson, and David, and Samuel, they didn't miss out.
54:27 And neither do we have to miss out.
54:29 What do you say?
54:30 They didn't miss it.
54:32 They caught it.
54:33 They didn't miss it.
54:34 But the reason why they did not miss it
54:39 is because they learned that the story of redemption
54:43 was not about their faithfulness,
54:46 but about the faithfulness of Christ.
54:49 You see, the superiority of the deity of Christ
54:52 is more powerful than the deity of angels.
54:55 The superiority of Christ's leadership is greater than
54:57 the leadership of Moses.
54:59 The superiority of Christ's foresight is greater than
55:02 the insight of the prophets.
55:03 The superiority of the mission of Christ
55:06 is greater than the mission of the disciples.
55:09 The superiority of the message of Christ
55:11 is greater than the sermons of the apostles.
55:14 The superiority of Christ and His power
55:17 is greater than the mission of the church.
55:19 And the superiority of the sacrifice of Christ
55:22 is greater than just dying on the cross.
55:24 It's leaving an empty tomb for us
55:27 to get that blessed assurance.
55:28 What do you say?
55:29 It's the superiority of Christ.
55:31 It's not how good Moses was.
55:33 It's not how good Sampson was.
55:36 They were good.
55:37 But it's all about Jesus.
55:39 It's about His willingness to give His life,
55:42 His determination to save us, His decision to risk it all,
55:47 that we one day might inherit it all.
55:52 And so my favorite quotation from the book, Steps To Christ,
55:57 I cannot miss it.
55:59 I cannot miss it.
56:01 "Christ was treated as we deserve
56:05 that we might be treated as He deserves.
56:09 He was condemned for our sins, in which He had no share,
56:15 that we might be justified by His righteousness,
56:19 in which we had no share.
56:22 He suffered the death which was ours,
56:26 that we might receive the life which was His."
56:31 And together, "By His stripes we are..." What?
56:34 "...we are healed."
56:37 How could anyone,
56:39 how could anyone refuse a God like that?
56:45 Come with me to the banquet of the ages.
56:47 The day that we're going to meet Abel, and Noah,
56:50 and Abraham, and Isaac, and Sarah, and Jacob,
56:53 and Joseph, and Moses, and Joshua, and Rahab,
56:56 and Sampson, and David.
56:57 And then finally we're going to meet Jesus.
56:59 What do you say?
57:01 We're going to see Him step out in His regal robes of
57:04 majesty and royalty.
57:06 And the first thing that we're going to do
57:08 is throw our crowns at His feet and show Him by our act
57:13 of homage that outside of Jesus, we would not make the kingdom.
57:20 My brothers and sisters, it is too late to refuse God.
57:24 Make up your mind that, come what may,
57:26 you will accept His invitation that you might have
57:29 eternal life.
57:30 God bless you.


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Revised 2015-01-28