Participants: John Lomacang (Host), Dr. Dedrick Blue
Series Code: FDOF
Program Code: FDOF000026A
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00:21 Hello, friends, Welcome to the 3ABN worship center.
00:24 My name is John Lomacang and I would like to welcome you 00:27 to Foundation of Our Faith. 00:29 And the featured speaker is Dr. Dedrick Blue. 00:33 Now if you're tuning in for the first time 00:35 you missed a power packed message 00:37 last evening entitled, "The Coming Super Storm." 00:40 But I looked at the title of tonight's message 00:42 and my mind is spiked. 00:44 I'm very aware that I want to know, 00:46 what he has to preach about. 00:48 It is entitled, "Holy Laughter." 00:50 What a title. 00:52 That surely would peak your interest. 00:54 Dr. Dedrick Blue is a man of experience, 00:57 30 years of ministry. 00:59 Also, he has been a pastor, a teacher, 01:02 college administrator, 01:03 and he has a passion for urban ministry 01:06 dealing with affordable housing health 01:09 and educational disparities. 01:11 He is currently the Dean of the School of Religion 01:14 at Oakwood University. 01:16 He is a native of Boston, Massachusetts 01:18 and a man of experience. 01:20 If you've been married 33 years and have three grown children 01:24 and a lovely wife you have some experience 01:27 that surely has enhanced your walk with the Lord. 01:30 Invite your family and friends right now to stay tuned 01:33 for this message that I know 01:34 will surely stir your heart. 01:38 Also, our minister of music is a young lady 01:40 by the name of Che Chin King. 01:43 I was blessed last night 01:44 when I had a chance to meet her. 01:46 I said, "What can I say to the people about you?" 01:49 she said, "Well, tell them 01:50 I love Jesus and I love to sing." 01:53 And tonight you'll see that, that is very true, 01:56 God has gifted her 01:57 with a wonderful instrument of music and ministry. 02:01 She's also married 02:02 with two lovely children and her husband. 02:04 They're here tonight. 02:05 We've had a privilege to meet them 02:07 and I know that you're gonna be blessed. 02:09 She's from Stockbridge, Georgia 02:12 and if you'd like to find out more about her ministry, 02:14 you can go to chelauna.com 02:18 and be blessed by what the Lord has in store for you. 02:21 But after she ministers to us, the very next voice that 02:25 you'll hear will be that of Dr. Dedrick Blue. 02:43 O Lord my God 02:50 When I in awesome wonder 02:57 Consider all the worlds 03:03 Thy hands have made 03:10 I see the stars 03:17 I hear the rolling thunder 03:23 Thy power throughout 03:28 The universe displayed 03:36 Then sings my soul 03:41 My Savior, God, to Thee 03:48 How great Thou art 03:54 How great Thou art 04:01 Then sings my soul 04:05 My Savior God, to Thee 04:13 How great thou art 04:18 How great thou art 04:31 And when I think 04:37 That God, His Son not sparing 04:43 Sent Him to die 04:48 I scarce can take it in 04:56 That on the Cross 05:03 My burden gladly bearing 05:09 He bled and died 05:13 To take away our sin 05:29 When Christ shall come 05:33 With shout of acclamation 05:36 And take me home 05:38 What joy shall fill my heart 05:44 Then I shall bow 05:51 In humble adoration 05:59 And then proclaim 06:03 "My God, how great Thou art" 06:12 Then sings my soul 06:17 My Savior, God, to Thee 06:25 How great thou art 06:32 How great thou art 06:38 Then sings my soul 06:44 My Savior, God, to Thee 06:52 How great thou art 06:58 How great thou art 07:05 How great Thou art 07:10 How great Thou art 07:22 How great Thou art 07:45 Well, I hope that tonight 07:46 you have been blessed by the ministry of sister King. 07:50 You know, I can hardly wait till I get to heaven 07:53 when perhaps I'll be able to sing. 07:56 Maybe, not in a soprano, 07:57 at least I hope not in a soprano. 07:59 But we surely do think that God is a great God. 08:04 You know, someone said to me the other day. 08:06 They said, "You know, God is good." 08:09 And you know, people often say God is good all the time 08:11 and all the time that God is good. 08:13 Well, someone said to me the other day, 08:14 they said, "No, no, no." 08:16 They said, "Chicken is good, God is great." 08:20 God is great, amen. 08:23 How great Thou art. 08:26 The Lord is superlative. 08:28 I don't think that we can adequately 08:31 describe him in words. 08:34 He is greater than our greatest 08:35 and our highest thoughts. 08:38 He is more sublime than our loftiest ideals. 08:42 How great he is. 08:45 If I were to live a thousand years 08:47 or maybe even a million years, 08:49 even then I could not begin to capture 08:53 the essence of who God is. 08:56 That's why I'm looking forward to eternity. 08:58 For when I get to eternity, 09:00 I shall never ever be able to exhaust 09:03 my exhaustless God. 09:05 You know, tonight I'm so happy to be here 09:07 with you once again. 09:09 And as we begin to open the Bible once again, 09:12 you know, there are so many things 09:13 that we talked about last night. 09:16 For example, we said last night 09:19 that there are two forces at work in the world, 09:21 the forces of God and the forces of Satan. 09:25 And therefore every good thing that God has, 09:29 Satan also has a counterfeit isn't that right? 09:33 In the Book of Revelation, for example, 09:35 we see that Jesus is the lamb and Satan is the beast. 09:40 We see God's true church as a woman dressed in white 09:44 and then we see the false church, 09:46 as a woman dressed in red. 09:48 In The Book of Revelation we see the New Jerusalem 09:51 but we also see Modern Babylon which is fallen. 09:54 We see the sea of glass 09:57 but we also see the lake of fire. 10:00 But also in the Book of Revelation 10:02 we see the seal of the living God 10:05 and we also see the mark of the beast. 10:08 So it is as we said last night that God is preparing a world 10:14 that is divided into two classes of people 10:17 for the final conflict 10:19 that is about to transpire on the earth. 10:21 And the winds are already beginning to blow. 10:25 Last night, we talked about the rise 10:26 of the demonic culture. 10:28 And how the Satanic winds are gathering, 10:31 but God is keeping those winds back long enough 10:36 so that the people of God might be sealed 10:39 in their foreheads amen. 10:41 And so, last night 10:43 we also said something about the work of devil 10:45 in the entertainment industry and how he works in television. 10:49 And it's easy to see how the devil works 10:51 if we look at if we look at ghoos-- 10:53 I mean ghosts and ghouls and goblins and zombies. 10:56 But I've a question for you. 10:59 What if the devil were to try to work in a different way? 11:04 You know, when I was a teenager, 11:06 I had a friend who was a real, live, 11:10 honest-to-goodness wedding crasher. 11:12 I said I had a friend who did this. 11:14 I didn't say I was with him. I'm not going to admit that. 11:16 But I had a friend who was a wedding crasher. 11:21 He would get dressed up 11:23 and he would go to the receptions 11:24 of people that he didn't know. 11:27 So that he could eat their food 11:29 and drink their drink and take their women. 11:34 Now, he was an interesting fellow 11:36 because he dressed the way that they dressed. 11:40 He mimicked the way that they spoke. 11:43 When they kissed Aunt Meme, 11:45 he kissed Aunt Meme. 11:47 But he was a fake, a fraud, a liar, 11:51 a deceiver and an interloper. 11:53 He had snuck through the door 11:55 for the purposes not for upholding 11:58 but for the purposes of destroying. 12:01 Listen to this quote by a Christian author, 12:03 this is interesting. 12:05 She says this about the real crasher, 12:08 the wedding crasher Satan. 12:09 She says, "The enemy of souls desires to hinder this work, 12:15 and before the time for such a movement shall come, 12:19 he will endeavor to prevent it by introducing a counterfeit. 12:27 In those churches 12:28 which he can bring under his deceptive power 12:32 he will make it appear that God's special blessing 12:36 is being poured out, there will be manifest 12:41 what is thought to be a great religious interest." 12:47 This evening's message is entitled, "Holy Laughter." 12:51 Holy laughter, bow your heads with me please. 12:54 Father in heaven, tonight, 12:55 as we open the word of God once again, 12:57 we are not so haughty as to believe 13:00 that we can understand this word 13:01 without divine assistance. 13:04 And so Lord, tonight we do not come in here 13:06 with our own human intellect, 13:07 rather we invite the spirit of the living God to come here 13:11 and to lead us and to guide us into all truth. 13:15 I'm just a feeble man, Lord, 13:16 but take this feeble instrument. 13:19 May the words of my mouth 13:21 and the meditations of our hearts, 13:23 Lord, be acceptable in Thy sight. 13:25 O Lord, our strength 13:26 and our redeemer in Jesus name, amen. 13:29 Holy laughter. 13:31 Our text for this evening comes from the Book of Revelation. 13:34 Revelation Chapter 13, Revelation Chapter 13:11, 14. 13:40 Revelation Chapter 13: 11, 14. 13:44 And the word of God says this, 13:48 "And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; 13:53 and he had two horns like a lamb, 13:56 and spake as a dragon." 14:00 Notice, horns like a lamb, but speaks like a dragon, 14:06 a counterfeit. 14:08 "He exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, 14:11 and causeth the earth 14:13 and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, 14:18 whose deadly wound was healed. 14:21 And he doeth great wonders, 14:25 so that he maketh fire come down 14:29 from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, 14:33 and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth 14:37 by the means of those miracles 14:40 which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; 14:44 saying to them that dwell on the earth, 14:46 that they should make an image to the beast, 14:48 which had the wound by a sword, and did live." 14:53 Holy laughter, it's coming, the forecasts warn. 14:59 You see, I was new to California 15:02 and had not been in California very long 15:04 and so when they talked about 15:06 wildfires in the Santa Ana winds, 15:09 I did not know what they were talking about. 15:10 All I know is that it had not rained 15:13 for several months in California. 15:16 All the grass was dried up no matter 15:18 how often I watered it and the ground was cracked. 15:23 And no matter what I did, I was always thirsty 15:25 but I couldn't turn on the faucet 15:27 because the city was handing out fines 15:29 for too much water usage. 15:31 They were telling everybody, 15:33 "You can only take a three-minute shower." 15:36 I'm only getting warmed up in three minutes, you know. 15:39 But that's how it was in California. 15:40 So when the Newscaster came on and said, 15:44 "You must be concerned because there are wildfires 15:47 that are loose in Southern California." 15:49 I paid it no mind. 15:51 When I went out my door, I looked up into the mountains 15:53 and you could see that the mountains were smoldering. 15:56 They were on fire and then the fire began 15:59 to creep down the mountain side, 16:01 down toward the valleys. 16:03 And the weather came on and the newsflash said, 16:05 "You must evacuate your homes if you were in this area." 16:09 Well, some people stubbornly refused to evacuate. 16:14 And unfortunately when people refused to evacuate 16:17 some will lose their lives. 16:20 They heard the forecasts of the coming fire 16:23 but they did not take note of it. 16:27 Well, when I read my Bible in Revelation 13, 16:30 there was another storm that is brewing on the horizon. 16:32 This time it's not driven by the Santa Ana winds 16:36 but it's driven by every wind of false doctrine. 16:40 The Bible says and warns us, that we need to get ready, 16:44 to get prepared, it is coming 16:47 and just like a California brush fire 16:50 that swept up everything in its path, 16:53 so it is that this fire of false doctrine 16:56 will sweep up everything in its path as well. 17:00 You're not going to hear about this fire on CNN 17:04 or from Al Roker but from John the Revelator. 17:07 For he checks out the forecast in Revelation Chapter 13 17:11 and he says, he says this, "That there will come a time, 17:16 when there will be a power. 17:18 That will do great wonders so that He makes fire, 17:26 come down from heaven 17:29 on the earth in the sight of men." 17:32 He makes fire come down 17:36 from heaven on earth in the sight of men. 17:40 But in order for us to understand 17:41 what this means, 17:43 we must first understand what fire represents 17:46 in the Word of God. 17:48 For fire is often associated with God. 17:52 In Exodus Chapter 3:2, 17:54 you remember that Moses found himself 17:57 at the burning bush, and he says there, 17:59 "That the angel of the Lord appeared unto Moses 18:03 in the flame of fire out of the midst of a bush 18:06 and he looked, and behold, the bush burned with fire, 18:10 and the bush was not consumed." 18:13 Here, fire in this text, 18:15 is associated with the holiness of God. 18:18 When Moses saw the bush, God said, 18:21 "Moses, don't even come here. 18:23 Take your shoes off your feet, 18:25 for you're about to stand on Holy Ground." 18:28 This fire represents 18:29 the holiness of God in this text. 18:32 As the children of Israel 18:34 were being led through the wilderness, 18:35 Exodus Chapter 13:21 says this, 18:40 "And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, 18:45 and led them the way 18:48 and by night by a pillar of fire, 18:52 to give them light, to go by day and night." 18:56 In this particular text the pillar of fire 19:00 is emblematic of God's presence and his protection. 19:04 Oh, I'm so glad that when I step out of my door 19:07 in the day, right? 19:08 I believed He is a pillar of fire 19:10 and a pillar of cloud would be, 19:11 that I have the protection of God. 19:13 You know, I have lived in some dangerous places. 19:15 I don't know about you 19:16 but I've lived in some dangerous places 19:18 and in some hard neighborhoods right? 19:20 But when I step outside of my door, 19:22 I believe that the same God 19:24 that was with the children Israel, 19:26 was also with me. 19:28 Can somebody say amen to that? 19:29 Amen. Amen. 19:30 So the fire was emblematic of his presence 19:32 and of his protection. 19:34 In Exodus Chapter 40:38 it says this, 19:38 "For the cloud of the Lord was upon the tabernacle by day, 19:44 and the fire was on it by night." 19:47 Notice in this text that the fire rested upon 19:50 The tabernacle of God symbolizing 19:53 God's presence in worship. 19:56 I'm here to tell you tonight, I don't want to go to worship 19:58 if God is not there. 20:00 If God is not in the house, then why am I there? 20:03 I don't want to be there all by myself singing to myself 20:07 and praising myself. 20:09 If God is not in the house then it's not worship. 20:12 But here the fire symbolizes the presence of God in worship. 20:17 Then in Exodus Chapter 24:17, the Bible says this, 20:23 "And the sight of the glory of the Lord 20:26 was like a devouring fire on top of the mountain 20:30 in the eyes of the children of Israel." 20:32 Here the fire is on top of the mountain. 20:35 The fire on top of the mountain symbolizes God's 20:40 transcendence and his sovereignty 20:42 and his kinship and his authority, amen. 20:47 Then in Deuteronomy Chapter 5:22, 20:50 the Bible says this, 20:52 "These words the Lord spake unto all your assembly 20:57 in the mount out of the midst of fire, 21:01 of a cloud, and of the thick darkness, 21:03 with a great voice: and he added no more." 21:06 And then it says this, 21:08 "And he wrote them in two tables of stone, 21:12 and delivered them unto me." 21:14 In this particular verse-- 21:15 in this particular text, 21:17 we see that it's from the fire that God writes 21:21 the Ten Commandments and from the-- 21:24 from the fire he delivers 21:26 these Ten Commandments on tables of stone unto Moses. 21:30 1 Kings Chapter 18:38, it says this, 21:33 "Then the fire of the Lord fell, 21:36 and consumed the burnt sacrifice, 21:38 and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, 21:41 and licked up the water that was in the trench." 21:44 Here the fire of the Lord comes down 21:47 and accepts an acceptable sacrifice. 21:52 Then in Matthew Chapter 3:11 my last text, all right? 21:57 Jesus says this, "I indeed baptize you 22:02 with water unto repentance. 22:05 But he that cometh after me is mightier than I, 22:10 whose shoes I am not worthy to bear, 22:13 he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, 22:17 and with fire." 22:19 Fire here, indicates the righteous judgment 22:24 of a Holy and just God. 22:27 So when I look at fire, as I read my Bible, 22:31 fire is associated with the justice of God, 22:34 with the sovereignty of God, with the goodness of God, 22:37 with the love of God, with the power of God, 22:40 there is none like God and he is caught up 22:42 into the midst of this fire, 22:44 he's the light which no man can approach. 22:47 He is all together different from those who are beneath. 22:51 That's what fire represents. 22:53 So when I read that fire, in Revelation 13, 22:56 "Comes down from heaven." 22:59 When I first read that I was excited. 23:02 I got ecstatic and exuberant and jubilant, 23:06 'cause I read in Revelation 13, 23:09 that fire was coming down from heaven. 23:15 But then I looked closely and I said, "Dedrick, 23:20 you better wait a minute, read a little bit closely, 23:22 more closely, for the Bible says this, 23:26 there's something different about this fire. 23:29 This fire in Revelation 13, 23:33 "Comes down from heaven." 23:38 But it does not come down from God. 23:43 It looks like the fire of God 23:50 but it is not the fire of God. 23:55 For when I read about the fire of God, 23:58 the fire of God always leads to repentance 24:03 and sacrifice and obedience and worship. 24:08 The fire of God on the altar of Mount Carmel, 24:11 it sparked a true revival. 24:13 But here, in Revelation Chapter 13, 24:17 this fire does not come from God. 24:19 And instead it sparks a false revival. 24:25 God's fire exults truth but this fire deceives men 24:30 by means of the miracles which were performed. 24:34 You see, the Bible predicts 24:36 that there was going to come a false fire 24:38 and that this false fire would be a false revival. 24:42 This time the fire does not come from God. 24:44 It does not glorify him. 24:46 Instead this fire comes 24:48 from the celestial wedding crasher, 24:52 Satan himself. 24:53 You see, there's an old saying that says, 24:55 "If it looks like a duck and walks like a duck 24:57 and quacks like a duck it must be a duck." 24:59 You've heard that before, right? 25:01 If it looks like the true fire, sounds like the true fire, 25:04 then it must be the true fire, 25:07 you've heard that before, right? 25:09 Well, sometimes things can look very similar 25:12 but it doesn't mean they are the same. 25:15 Now one day I was walking down the street, 25:17 minding my own business 25:18 and I ran across this gentleman on the street 25:22 and he said to me, he said, 25:23 "Man, do you want to buy a watch?" 25:25 I said, "No, not really 25:27 I don't really have any need for a watch." 25:29 He says, "Man, no, no, no says man. 25:32 Listen I'm down on my luck man 25:33 and I need somebody to buy my watch." 25:36 And I said, "Really man, I really don't want a watch." 25:38 He said, "Man, won't you help me, 25:39 man I'm homeless, I don't have anything to eat man, 25:41 will you just buy my watch?" 25:43 And so he rolls up his sleeves, he says, 25:45 "Man, it's a Rolex man, it's a Rolex." 25:48 And he said man, he said, 25:50 "I don't want to part with it man, 25:52 but for you, if you just give me $25, 25:55 you can have my Rolex." 25:57 So I'm thinking to myself, $25 for Rolex, that's not bad. 26:02 And after all I'm helping a man, 26:04 give him some food 26:05 and he'll be happy and I'll be happy." 26:08 A fatal mistake. 26:09 So I bought the Rolex for $25 and I was so proud. 26:13 I had my Rolex on, it was all shiny and everything 26:16 and every time somebody would talk to me 26:17 I would, sort of, hold my hand up 26:19 so they could see my Rolex. 26:20 "Is that a Rolex?" Yeah! 26:22 What do you know, it's a little something, 26:23 something, a little something, yeah." 26:25 Until about two weeks later I looked at my shiny gold watch 26:28 and it started turning green. 26:33 And it was supposed to work, it wasn't working 26:34 so I started shaking the watch 26:37 and then I looked down and I realized, 26:40 it wasn't a Rolex, it was a Rolx. 26:45 You see, just because something looks like it's real 26:49 it does not mean that it's real. 26:52 You see the prophecy in Revelation is clear. 26:56 There will be a revival. 26:59 It will look like the real revival 27:02 but it will be a false revival. 27:05 The text says, "That in this revival 27:08 the supernatural power behind it 27:11 will be able to do great wonders." 27:15 Listen to this, 27:17 I found this quotation from a Christian author. 27:20 It says, "A spiritualism more closely 27:25 imitates nominal Christianity of the day. 27:28 It has greater power 27:32 to deceive and to ensnare. 27:37 Satan himself is converted 27:39 after all the modern order of things. 27:43 He will appear in the character of an angel of light 27:48 to the agency of spiritualism. 27:50 Miracles will be wrought the sick will be healed 27:55 and undeniable wonders will be performed." 27:59 Listen to this one. 28:01 "Multitudes will exult 28:02 that God is working marvelously for them, 28:06 when the work is that of another spirit under," 28:11 listen to this, 28:12 "under a religious guise Satan will seek," 28:17 listen to this, this important, "under a religious guise 28:21 Satan will seek to extend his influence 28:27 over the Christian world." 28:32 Notice, Satan already has the world 28:37 but he's not done. 28:40 He is not happy until he can extend 28:42 his influence over the Christian world. 28:46 He is trying to crash God's party. 28:50 Now I've come to tell you tonight that, 28:52 that is happening right now. 28:54 Holy Laughter. 28:57 In his book, "The Touch of God," 29:00 Minister Rodney Howard-Browne describes an experience 29:05 that he had that helped to spark this false revival. 29:09 Listen to what he says carefully, 29:12 he says, "Suddenly the fire fell on me. 29:17 It started in my head, it went down to my feet 29:21 and the power burned in my body 29:23 and it stayed like that for three days." 29:27 Three days, you know, how long was Jesus in the-- 29:30 three days and three-- 29:32 Jonah in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, 29:34 before Esther went before the king, 29:36 she fasted and prayed for three days. 29:38 He said that, "This fire, 29:40 this Holy Ghost fire was in me for three days." 29:42 He says, "My whole body was on fire 29:45 from the top of my head to the soles of my feet 29:48 and out of my belly came to flow a river of living water 29:52 and I began to weep 29:53 and I began to speak in tongues." 29:55 And then he says, 29:56 "I wasn't intoxicated on the wine of a Holy Ghost." 30:01 That, "I was literally beside myself." 30:03 He said, "The fire of God 30:05 was coursing through my whole being 30:07 and it didn't quit and because of that," listen, 30:11 "Because of that encounter with the Lord," 30:15 He attributes it to the Lord, 30:17 "my life was radically changed from that day." 30:21 In 1987, Howard-Browne prophesied this, 30:26 he said, "That God 30:29 would send missionaries to America for revival." 30:36 which has been defined as, 30:38 "supernatural signs and wonders". 30:43 In 1989, he was preaching 30:46 and folks suddenly started falling out of their seats. 30:50 And here's what was strange about it. 30:53 When they fell off their seats, 30:55 they started laughing, laughing in the Spirit. 31:02 "This was the beginning of what has been come to me 31:04 known as the Holy Laughter Movement." 31:09 By 1993, Howard-Browne was in Toronto 31:12 with hundreds attending his daily services 31:15 and no matter what he said, or no matter what he did 31:19 folks would break out into laughter 31:22 and you know they call that? 31:24 They called it the "Toronto blessing". 31:28 Here's what he says, 31:30 "One night I was preaching on hell 31:33 and laughter just hit the whole place. 31:38 The more I told people what the hell was like, 31:42 the more they laughed." 31:46 Guy Chevreau, a Baptist minister 31:48 also participated in the so-called revival, 31:50 he says, "What we're talking about here 31:53 is God's manifest presence, 31:55 such that He is seen, felt and experienced 31:58 and folks' lives are getting changed." 32:01 And he says, 32:02 "This is redefining the church." 32:08 Rodney Howard-Browne, the Holy Laughter preacher, 32:11 he calls himself, listen to this, 32:12 he calls himself the Holy Ghost bartender. 32:18 He claims that he is serving up new wine. 32:22 He says, "That you ought to come to the bar 32:24 and get a drink, 32:26 'cause the drinks are free and there is no hangover." 32:29 Howard-Browne encourages people to take another drink 32:33 for the bar-- for the bar is open. 32:35 He says, "Be filled! 32:38 We loose the power! 32:42 Have another drink! 32:44 We loose the power! 32:47 Well, I've got news for you, Mr. Howard-Browne, 32:51 first of all, we do not loose the power, 32:54 God looses power. 32:55 The power does not come from us. 32:57 The power comes from Him. 32:59 It is not under our control. 33:01 We do not command it, corrall or control it. 33:04 We do not orchestrate it. 33:08 Power comes from God. 33:10 Amen. 33:11 And not only that, 33:14 we don't get drunk in the Spirit. 33:17 Listen, in order to justify the behavior, 33:21 they will quote Ephesians Chapter 5:18, 20 33:25 which says this, "Be not drunk with wine, 33:29 wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; 33:33 Don't be drunk with wine, but be filled with the Spirit." 33:38 Now let's see what that text really says, it says, 33:41 "Don't get drunk on wine," we all understand that, 33:44 it says, "but be filled with the Spirit." 33:47 It does not say, "Get drunk with the Spirit," 33:51 it says "Be filled with the Spirit." 33:54 In other words, what the text is saying is that, 33:57 "If you are filled with the Spirit, 33:58 then you will not be drunk." 34:01 Not that you will be drunk with the Spirit. 34:04 What Rodney Howard-Browne, is talking about here 34:07 when he says, "Being drunk in the Spirit," 34:09 is not a Holy Ghost anointing, 34:13 rather it is satanic hypnosis. 34:17 Let me prove it to you. 34:20 Anton Mesmer, was a Mason 34:24 and a founder of something called, 34:26 Animal Magnetism or Mesmerism 34:30 from which we get our English word mesmerize. 34:34 You know what mesmerize is? 34:35 Kind of like when I first met my wife. 34:37 She saw me and I looked at her, she was mesmerized. 34:43 We get our English word mesmerize from that. 34:45 And mesmerism, mesmerism was the forerunner of hypnosis. 34:52 Mesmer called his sessions, seances 34:58 and under his spell many of his patients 35:01 were given to uncontrollable laughter, 35:07 convulsions, hick-ups, 35:11 and some went into raving delirium, 35:14 under what was known as "The Crisis". 35:17 And all of this was considered to be very helpful. 35:21 Well, at Rodney Browne's meeting, 35:24 people have been reported 35:27 to laugh, jump, 35:31 roll around and stagger in drunkenness. 35:35 They smell good presences, and they smell evil presences 35:39 some are walking like a chicken or barking like a dog. 35:44 Some people actually take the communion bread 35:46 and throw it across the room to show the joy of the Lord. 35:50 Some people are pawing and fondling other people 35:54 some on the ground scratching and some prepare themselves 35:58 like they are flying like eagles 36:00 and this is called Revival. 36:07 Under the anointing of this so-called Holy Laughter, 36:12 some people have actually been known 36:14 to rip their clothes off 36:18 under the unction of the Holy Ghost. 36:21 Now I've read my Bible, maybe you have to. 36:24 The only time I saw was someone who ripped their clothes off, 36:27 was a man who was demon possessed. 36:29 He was ripping his clothes off 36:30 and Jesus had to come and cast the demon out. 36:33 You see that ripping off their clothes 36:36 was not under the anointing of the Holy Ghost 36:38 but under the anointing of another ghost, 36:40 isn't that right? 36:42 Listen to what Al Dagger reports of this movement. 36:45 He says, "On several occasions 36:47 I witnessed people that were slain in the Spirit. 36:50 And if they didn't," listen, 36:51 "and if they didn't begin to laugh, 36:55 he would place his foot on their stomach 36:59 and command them to laugh. 37:02 Some he would kick as they lay there 37:05 and accuse them of not yielding to the Holy Ghost. 37:10 And he would keep on kicking them 37:12 until they would obviously 37:14 force some kind of laughter out of themselves." 37:18 Well, I don't know about you, 37:20 but I've been walking with the Holy Ghost 37:21 for a long time 37:22 but he has yet to kick me to make me laugh. 37:24 The Holy Ghost doesn't kick us, the Holy Ghost pleads with us. 37:26 This is false fire, this is false revival. 37:30 And the devil is busy at work, 37:32 leading folks into this counterfeit of true religion. 37:36 For the devil would seek us to believe the true religion 37:39 is only an experience based upon our feelings. 37:43 When I read about true religion in the Book of Revelation, 37:46 you'll find it in Revelation Chapter 14, 37:49 what is true religion in Revelation 14? 37:52 I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven. 37:55 "Heaven, the everlasting gospel," 37:57 that's true. 37:58 "To preach to those that dwell on the earth," 38:00 that's true. 38:02 To every nation, kindred, tongue and people 38:04 saying with a loud voice, "Fear God," that's true. 38:07 "Obedience to him," that's true. 38:09 "Give glory to him," that's true. 38:12 "For the hour of his judgment is come," that's truth 38:15 and "Worship him, 38:18 who made the heaven, and the earth and the sea 38:19 in the fountains of water," 38:21 true revival calls men back to the worship of the creator 38:26 the one who made the Heaven and the earth. 38:30 It calls men back 38:31 to worship God on the seventh day 38:34 and to honor the Lord God of the Sabbath day. 38:37 If you want to know, what true worship is, 38:39 you can't find it in an experience. 38:41 You must find it in the word of God. 38:43 Amen. 38:45 See Revelation 14 is interesting. 38:49 The word worship is the same word 38:50 used in Revelation 13. 38:53 The same word used for worship in Revelation 13, 38:55 about the false worship, 38:57 it's the same word used in Revelation 14, 38:59 about true worship. 39:01 You see, in the last days, 39:03 God is calling his people back to true worship. 39:08 Not based upon feelings, 39:11 but based upon faith in the Word of God. 39:15 Amen. 39:16 God Revival reminds us 39:19 that the hour of his judgment has come. 39:22 But the false revival reminds us 39:24 that the hour of miracles has come. 39:28 The false revival, 39:30 men are deceived by the miracles 39:32 and mesmerized and hypnotized by the miracles. 39:35 But in the true revival, men learn to trust God. 39:42 This quotation from a Book, "Desire of Ages," 39:44 it says, "So it will be in the final conflict 39:46 of controversy between righteousness and sin. 39:50 While new life and light and power 39:52 are descending from on high upon the disciples of Christ, 39:56 a new life is springing from beneath, 39:59 and energizing agencies of Satan. 40:03 Intensity is taking possession of every earthly element. 40:08 And with a subtlety gained through centuries of conflict, 40:12 the prince of evil works under disguise. 40:17 He appears to be clothed as an angel of light 40:21 and multituded are giving heed to seducing spirits 40:25 and doctrines of devils." 40:30 Listen, Larry Thomas reported this 40:32 about a Jimmy Swaggart Crusade. 40:35 This what Thomas says, he says, 40:36 "There were literally hundreds of people 40:38 who would begin to laugh hysterically 40:39 and throw themselves down on the ground." 40:41 Listen to this, "They would howl like dogs, 40:46 or roar like lions and make all kinds of noises." 40:53 Now, now, don't get me wrong, don't get me wrong. 40:59 I'm not opposed, 41:02 at all, to enliven the worship. 41:07 I am not talking about worship style. 41:10 I'm talking about worship substance. 41:14 I'm not opposed to people getting happy. 41:17 Because when I think about what Jesus has done for me. 41:20 And when I think about how he has set me free. 41:23 Sometimes I just want to raise my hand and say, 41:26 "Hallelujah and thank you, Jesus." 41:29 And if I can loud, if I can get loud and shout 41:32 when, when Cam Newton, 41:34 throws that touchdown pass to win the Super Bowl, 41:39 then I can surely get happy. 41:41 When Jesus has thrown the long pass of salvation, 41:45 it has got me across the touchdown line. 41:47 I'm thankful for-- I'm not talking, 41:49 I am not talking at all about style of worship. 41:54 You know, because you have to understand this, 41:56 that God speaks to every nation, 41:58 kindred, tongue and people and how he speaks to us? 42:00 He speaks to us through our culture, 42:02 isn't that right? 42:03 That's right, so some people who praise God, 42:06 through a Gregorian chant. 42:09 Some people who will praise God through Bach, right? 42:12 Some people get happy when they sing Fanny Crosby, 42:15 "Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine." 42:18 But some people get happy when they hear 42:20 "The Dixie Hummingbirds," 42:21 or the Mighty Clouds of Joy or BBCC Violins. 42:26 We just have to be careful about making our preference, 42:29 God standard. 42:31 So I'm not talking about that. 42:32 But what I am talking about is this, 42:35 that if you were going to have a true revival 42:39 your praise must be anchored 42:41 in something more than your feelings. 42:44 It must be anchored in the Word of God. 42:48 The adoration must go to the God 42:51 who has revealed himself in the word. 42:55 That's why the Bible says, 42:56 "To the law and to the testimony 42:59 if they speaks not according to this word, 43:02 it is because there is no light." 43:05 It's the word of God. 43:08 Uncontrollable laughter contributed to the Holy Ghost. 43:13 Everything is not funny, Hell is not funny. 43:16 If you think it's funny, wait till you get there. 43:19 The cross is not a laughing matter. 43:23 Those who mock Jesus on the cross laughed at him 43:26 and they will meet him again in the judgment. 43:30 Salvation is not a laughing matter 43:33 and grace is not a laughing matter. 43:36 And anyone who laughs at this, 43:38 they are not getting the Holy Ghost. 43:40 This comes from another force from beneath. 43:45 Yes, it's good to praise. 43:47 The Bible says, 43:48 "Let everything that have breath 43:50 praise the Lord." 43:51 Everything that does have breath 43:53 praise the Lord. 43:55 The birds chirp his praise and the bees buzz his praise 43:59 and the lions roar his praise and the frog croak his praise, 44:03 and the cats meow his praise 44:05 and the penguins clap his praise. 44:08 But when it comes to me, as a human being, 44:11 with my mouth I will praise the Lord 44:15 not in barks but in thanks. 44:18 Amen. 44:19 Not rolling around on the floor but standing up for truth. 44:25 Not in being slain but living plain. 44:29 And not in falling out 44:31 but living up to the revealed Word of God 44:34 expressed in the Bible. 44:37 Not flapping like a chicken but living like a Christian. 44:42 I'm not looking for a miracle. 44:45 But coming to understand that God's greatest miracle 44:49 that he has ever performed 44:51 is turning a sinner into a saint. 44:55 Hallelujah. Amen. 44:57 And if you want to see a miracle, 44:59 if you're a Christian, 45:01 just look in the mirror, amazing grace. 45:06 Wait, listen, some of you know, who you were 45:08 and what you would do when God found you, 45:09 isn't that right? 45:11 And you know if it had not been for the Lord in your life 45:14 and God on your side, you would be lost right now, 45:17 you would be dead right now, 45:19 locked up in the jail house right now. 45:22 Your family would be broken up, 45:23 you'd be unemployed and homeless right now 45:25 but God has somehow stepped into the middle of your mess 45:29 and delivered you and saved you. 45:32 Praise God. That's the miracle. 45:35 The miracle is that the great God of heaven 45:37 would get off his throne above and come down here 45:39 to a dingy, dark dot of a planet called Earth. 45:43 That he would leave his throne for a manger, 45:47 leave the streets of gold 45:49 for the dusty roads of Palestine, 45:52 leave the adoration of angels for the curses of men, 45:56 leave the thrown of his eternal majesty 45:58 for the cross of Cavalry 46:00 and die in your place that you might live in his. 46:05 That's a miracle. Amen. 46:08 Everything else is crazy. 46:11 But if you use that as the evidence, 46:14 you are making a mistake. 46:16 Well, some might say, "Well, Pastor Blue, 46:17 you're saying all that 46:19 then you must not be a real Christian, 46:20 because I read in the Bible 46:22 there are such things as miracles. 46:23 Obviously you don't believe in miracles. 46:25 If you really believed in miracles 46:27 then you would be like I am. 46:28 You just don't understand the Holy Ghost 46:30 because you've never had the Holy Ghost, 46:31 because you've never seen a miracle. 46:33 If you'd have seen, what I've seen 46:34 then you would know what I know." 46:36 Well, let me tell you something, 46:37 I believe in miracles. 46:39 I've seen God do many things. 46:41 Now I remember one time 46:44 my dear lovely wife she had a great grandfather 46:48 and he was very, very ill when I first met her. 46:50 She lived down in Southern Georgia 46:51 when I first met her grandfather. 46:53 He was sitting in the chair in the back room, 46:54 his foot was swollen and he couldn't move. 46:57 He liked to go outside and work in the garden 46:59 but he had been out that chair in several weeks 47:02 because he just couldn't move he was so infirmed. 47:05 So I went over to visit him and he laughed at me, 47:07 called me a Jack-leg preacher. 47:09 For those who don't know what a Jack-leg preacher is, 47:11 that means your not a real preacher, 47:12 you're sort of a pretend preacher. 47:14 So I said, "Let me pray with you, 47:16 let me pray for you, 47:17 and let God ask a blessing upon your leg." 47:20 He said, "Go on Jack-leg preacher pray for me." 47:23 I bowed my head 47:24 and I laid my hands on him in the name of Jesus 47:26 and I asked Jesus to perform a miracle, 47:29 to take him and to heal him and to restore him once again. 47:33 I left the house, the next day, I received a phone call, 47:36 "Come over here quick, come over here quick, 47:38 granddaddy wants to see you." 47:40 When I got to the house, 47:41 the foot was back to its normal size. 47:44 He was outside in the yard and he was working. 47:47 Don't tell me I don't believe in miracles, 47:48 I believe in miracles. 47:49 There was a woman who came to my church. 47:51 She was going blind and the doctor said, 47:54 "You need a operation to cure your imminent blindness." 47:58 So she said, "Pastor, I don't want to have the operation. 48:00 Will you pray for me?" 48:02 I laid my hands on that woman in the name of Jesus. 48:04 And she went back to her doctor on Monday Morning, 48:07 preparing for the operation 48:08 and then the doctor looked at her and said, 48:10 "You don't need an operation. 48:11 Your eyes are fine." 48:12 I was called to the hospital one night 48:14 for there was a man who was dying. 48:16 And the doctor called me up, he said, "Preacher Blue, 48:20 father Blue, would you come here 48:22 and give this man last rites?" 48:24 And so I said, "Well, listen 48:26 I won't come give him last rites, 48:28 I'll come give him the first rites 48:29 because I don't believe in last rites." 48:31 The first rite is the rite of prayer. 48:33 The rite to call for the name of Lord. 48:35 When I got there to the hospital 48:36 the man was paralyzed, couldn't move. 48:40 I laid my hand on the man 48:41 and I began to pray in the name of Jesus. 48:44 He's on death's door. 48:45 And I said to him, 48:47 "If you can hear me, squeeze my hand." 48:49 And I felt the lightest tug on my hand. 48:53 I went to the doctor said, "Doctor, Doctor," 48:55 I said, "He squeezed my hand," 48:56 the doctor said, "It's impossible. 48:58 First of all the man is brain dead 48:59 and secondly, he is paralyzed on that side of his body. 49:02 He could not move. 49:04 There must have just been a reflex action." 49:06 He put his hand on my shoulder and said, 49:08 "Young man just go home we'll call you if we need you." 49:12 I went home, that was on a Friday night. 49:14 When I discovered that he was still alive 49:17 on a Tuesday morning, 49:18 I got up and I went to the hospital 49:20 and as I drove into the hospital lot, 49:23 I could not believe my eyes, 49:25 for the man who they told me was dead on Friday night, 49:30 I saw him walking out the hospital with a walker 49:33 on Tuesday morning. 49:35 Don't tell me I don't believe in miracles. 49:36 I believe in the power of God. 49:38 Amen. 49:39 For I have seen God do so much with so little for so long 49:43 that I now believe 49:44 that God can do anything with nothing 49:47 and God can do anything but fail. 49:49 Amen. 49:50 But having said that, I will also say this, 49:55 miracles are not the sign, nor the evidence 50:01 that you got the Holy Ghost. 50:02 Amen. 50:03 Not the sign. 50:05 You see when you read the Book of Exodus. 50:09 Moses did a miracle 50:11 and the magician did the same one. 50:12 He threw his stick down, it became a serpent, 50:15 they did the same thing. 50:18 It's possible for Satan to counterfeit miracles. 50:21 As a matter of fact, Jesus said in Matthew 24:24, 50:24 he said, "They will arise false Christs, 50:27 and false prophets 50:29 and they will show great signs and wonders, 50:34 insomuch that, if it were possible, 50:38 they would deceive the very elect." 50:41 the Bible says, "If it's possible." 50:44 Because they will do signs and wonders. 50:47 Well, pastor if you say their expression and feeling 50:53 is not the evidence of the Holy Ghost. 50:56 And laughter is not the evidence 50:57 of a Holy Ghost. 50:59 And getting little happy and roll around 51:01 is not evidence of the Holy Ghost. 51:04 And miracles and signs and wonders 51:05 is not evidence of the Holy Ghost. 51:07 Well, Pastor Blue, 51:08 what then is the evidence of the Holy Ghost? 51:12 Well, I want you to fasten your seat belts, 51:14 'cause I'm gonna give you, I'm gonna give you a text, 51:16 I'm gonna give you one little text, 51:18 this text is so powerful, this text is so profound, 51:21 it's going to alter the way that you forever think, 51:24 it's gonna change your world view about the Holy Spirit, 51:27 it's gonna transform the way that you see the world 51:31 and see the power of the Holy Ghost 51:33 from here on out. 51:34 One little text is one of the most powerful text 51:37 in all of the Bible. 51:38 It's found in Acts Chapter 5:32, and it says this, 51:44 "And we are His witnesses of these things." 51:48 Acts 5:32, 51:50 "We are his witnesses of these things 51:54 and so also is the Holy Ghost." 52:01 Now, check this out. 52:04 Whom God has given? 52:10 God has given the Holy Ghost. 52:15 The Holy Ghost whom God has given to who? 52:21 "To them that obey him." 52:26 Did you get it? 52:28 The Holy Ghost is given to those who obey, 52:33 for to obey is better than sacrifice. 52:37 And to obey is better then hooping and hollering, 52:41 and jumping and rolling around. 52:44 How do I notice, 52:46 how many of you tonight have children, right? 52:51 Everybody here have children. 52:53 Now let me ask this question, if you told your son, 52:57 "Son, you know tomorrow is trash day, 53:00 I want you to take the trash out tonight, right?" 53:04 And you go a half hour later 53:07 and your son is in the living room. 53:09 Trash still in the trash can 53:11 but your son is in the living room, 53:12 talking about I got the feeling, 53:14 I got the feeling. 53:16 Listen, listen I don't care about your feeling, 53:18 I care about your obedience right? 53:23 To obey is better than sacrifice. 53:26 Fear God and keep his commandments. 53:32 For this is the whole duty of man. 53:37 Obey the truth 53:39 and as it is revealed in the Word of God. 53:45 This last quotation I'll read to you, 53:48 "The last great delusion is soon to open before us. 53:56 The Anti-Christ 53:58 is to perform his marvelous works 54:03 in our sight. 54:07 So closely will the counterfeit 54:13 resemble the true 54:16 that it will be impossible to distinguish between them 54:23 except by the Holy Scriptures." 54:28 Amen. 54:29 The only way you'll know the last day 54:31 is by the Holy Scriptures. 54:34 For this truth does not present us 54:40 with feelings in our souls 54:43 but also knowledge in our heads, 54:46 this truth does not prepare you just to shout in church 54:51 but to worship God before his throne. 54:55 This truth will not have you barking like a dog, 54:58 but living like a man. 55:03 You want to know what true Holy Laughter is? 55:05 Let me tell you what it is. 55:08 When I get to glory, 55:10 when I look back over the way that the Lord has brought me 55:15 and where he has brought me from 55:18 and I realize that I was lost in sin. 55:21 But Jesus took me in then I will laugh. 55:27 I will laugh at my former heartache, 55:30 laugh at my former headaches, 55:33 laugh at my former bills, I will laugh at my former-- 55:38 my former bank, who held my former mortgage. 55:43 I'm gonna laugh at death and I'm gonna laugh at tears 55:47 for in that land there's gonna be no more sorrow 55:50 and no more death and no more dying 55:53 and neither shall there be any more tears, 55:56 for the former things will have passed away. 55:59 For sin would have been eradicated 56:01 and God would have been vindicated 56:03 and the I shall laugh. 56:06 That's Holy Laughter. 56:08 When I look at how the devil had tried to hold me down 56:11 and to trip me up and to keep me under 56:14 but I've been redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb, 56:16 sanctified by the spirit and glorified by the father, 56:21 then I will pass through the air and say, 56:25 "Farewell, farewell to all the troubles 56:27 of this present world." 56:29 That's Holy Ghost revival people 56:32 and that's Holy Ghost laughter. 56:34 Tonight, I invite you 56:38 to look for the true revival 56:39 that only comes from a relationship with God. 56:43 Anchor yourself in obedience to his word. 56:47 Do not trust your feelings but rather trust God. 56:51 You may be in a church right now 56:53 where a false revival is going on 56:55 but I'm here to tell you, don't trust what you see, 56:59 trust what God says in his word. 57:01 Satan has counterfeits 57:03 but God is calling you right now 57:06 from the counterfeit into his marvelous light 57:09 of revealed truth in his word. 57:12 Put your trust in Him, anchor your faith in Him 57:17 and He will safely see you through. 57:20 So that one day you will stand with me 57:22 on the sea of glass 57:24 and laugh at how God has brought us through. 57:29 God bless you. Amen. |
Revised 2016-05-09