Participants:
Series Code: OTR
Program Code: OTR000808
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01:00 A lady by the name of Tammy Chance,
01:02 she is Danny's youngest, 01:04 well, only sister, the youngest of all the family members. 01:08 If you want to know the truth about Danny, 01:10 ask this young lady. 01:12 Danny told me a story the other day 01:14 that when her mother went out, 01:16 she'd say, "Now if they aggravate, 01:17 you tell me when I come home." 01:19 And Tammy would say, even if they didn't aggravate, 01:22 they'd say, "Mommy, they aggravated me." 01:26 And they would always get in trouble. 01:28 But tonight, she's not going to aggravate you. 01:29 She's going to sing a wonderful song 01:30 entitled "Uncloudy Day." 01:32 Bless us, Tammy. 01:33 Thank you, John. 01:35 Of course Danny was the ones telling that story. 01:37 So, you know, you can take it with a grain of salt, 01:39 but probably they really did aggravate me, I tell you. 01:43 How many of you know "Uncloudy Day"? 01:45 The old hymn, Uncloudy Day? 01:47 Okay, I'm going to do it just a little different 01:49 than probably what you've heard it. 01:51 But feel free to sing along with me. 01:53 I think you'll enjoy it. 02:06 They tell me of a home Far beyond the skies 02:11 They tell me of a home far away 02:16 Oh, they tell me of a home 02:18 Where no storm clouds rise 02:21 Oh, they tell me Of an unclouded day 02:28 Oh, the land Of the cloudless day 02:33 Oh, the land 02:35 Of the unclouded sky 02:39 They tell me of a home Where no storm clouds rise 02:44 Yes, they tell me Of an unclouded day 02:50 They tell me of a King 02:52 In His beauty there 02:55 They tell me that mine eyes 02:57 Shall behold 03:00 Where He sits on the throne That is whiter than snow 03:05 In the city That is made of gold 03:11 Sing it with me. 03:12 Oh, the land Of the cloudless day 03:17 Oh, the land 03:19 Of the unclouded sky 03:23 They tell me of a home Where no storm clouds rise 03:28 Yes, they tell me Of an unclouded day 03:46 They tell me that He smiles On His children there 03:51 His smile drives Their sorrows all away 03:55 And they tell me That no tears ever come again 04:01 In that lovely land Of unclouded day 04:06 Oh, the land Of the cloudless day 04:11 Oh, the land Of the unclouded sky 04:17 They tell me of a home 04:19 Where no storm clouds rise 04:23 Yes, they tell me 04:25 Of an unclouded day 04:33 Yes, they tell me 04:35 Of an unclouded day 04:52 Thank you, Tammy. 04:53 You can tell by listening to that song 04:55 that the musicians are not from Brooklyn, New York. 04:59 Is that a safe assumption? 05:01 Wonderful song sung in a way that I believe 05:03 is reminiscent of the Midwest, 05:05 but still the message is unchanged. 05:07 One day we're going to see that uncloudy day, 05:08 I'm looking forward to that. 05:10 What about you? 05:11 You know, years ago when I first met 05:13 the Kenneth Cox evangelistic team, 05:16 I was down in Texas. 05:17 And, you know, everything is big in Texas. 05:19 But when I heard the organ player, 05:21 I thought to myself "Now I see one of the reasons 05:24 why wherever Kenneth Cox goes, he carries Dona Klein with him. 05:28 Tonight Dona Klein is going to bless us 05:30 as she plays a song "If I Can Help Somebody." 05:33 Let's welcome her with a hearty amen. 05:35 Amen. 07:59 Amen. 08:01 That song has an undying message. 08:03 If I can help somebody when Jesus comes back 08:05 He'll say, "As much as you've done it 08:07 to the least of these you," what, "you've done it unto Me." 08:10 Thank you so much, Dona, for that. 08:12 Dona is to organs what Ken Cox is to evangelism, 08:16 always a step ahead 08:18 of whoever is behind that person. 08:20 You know, we're going to be blessed by a young man 08:22 that has been a part 08:23 of the 3ABN family for a long... 08:24 Did I say young man? 08:26 I meant Steve Darmody. 08:29 He's been a part of the 3ABN family 08:31 for a number of years blessing everyone 08:33 wherever he goes 08:35 with his smooth voice and a rich tone 08:38 and always a wonderful message. 08:39 But after Steve, you're going to hear from, 08:42 I would refer to Ken Cox 08:43 as the evangelist of evangelists, 08:46 wherever he goes, the church, the audience, 08:50 the people are never the same. 08:51 So let's prepare our hearts after this wonderful song 08:55 for the message by Pastor Ken Cox. 09:12 Marvelous grace 09:14 Of our loving Lord 09:18 Grace that exceeds 09:20 Our guilt and our sins 09:23 Yonder on Calvary's 09:27 Mount outpoured 09:30 There where the blood 09:33 Of the Lamb was spilt 09:37 Grace, grace 09:40 God's grace 09:44 Grace that Will pardon And cleanse within 09:50 Grace, grace 09:54 God's grace 09:57 Grace that is greater Than all our sin 10:10 Dark is the stain 10:14 That I cannot hide 10:17 What can avail to wash it 10:22 Away Look! 10:26 There is flowing a crimson tide 10:31 Whiter than snow 10:34 You may be today 10:39 Grace, grace 10:42 God's grace 10:46 Grace that is greater Than all our sin 10:53 Grace, grace 10:56 God's grace 11:00 Grace that is greater Than all our sin 11:16 Marvelous, infinite Matchless grace 11:22 Freely bestowed On all who believe 11:28 You that are longing 11:31 To see His face 11:34 Will you this moment 11:37 His grace receive 11:46 I don't imagine there's probably anyone 11:49 who's hearing my voice right now 11:51 who's not heard of the wonderful song 11:54 "Amazing Grace." 11:57 But hearing the song and knowing the words 11:59 and how they all come together to make the sentences 12:02 is not the same as experiencing that grace 12:05 and inviting that grace to cover and to cleanse you. 12:10 Let's begin our camp meeting this year with that grace. 12:15 Amazing Grace 12:20 How sweet the sound 12:25 That saved a wretch like me 12:35 I once was lost 12:40 But now I'm found 12:45 Was blind 12:48 But now I see 13:12 Amen. 13:29 Gracious Father, tonight, 13:33 we'd like to invite Your presence to be with us, 13:38 pray that the Holy Spirit may come 13:40 and be close to each one of us. 13:45 We ask Lord that our hearts 13:48 may be open, 13:51 that they may be soft, they may be tender. 13:55 That the Holy Spirit 13:56 might be able to lead, guide, direct each one of us. 14:01 Give us understanding, 14:04 but of all, Lord, we pray that You will help us 14:09 that we might be submissive to Your will and Your desires. 14:15 For this we ask in Christ's name, amen. 14:26 I don't think there's ever a time 14:29 that we hold an evangelistic meeting 14:32 that somebody doesn't come to me 14:36 and say to me... 14:40 "I don't know that I'm saved. 14:46 I just don't feel like that I have salvation. 14:50 I just don't really feel 14:55 that things are right." 14:57 But how do you know? 15:00 How do you know if you're saved or not? 15:06 Tonight, I'm going to speak on a sure indication, 15:12 a sure indication that you're saved 15:16 that you can know if you're saved, if you're not. 15:20 What does the scripture say? 15:22 What does it tell us? 15:24 How can I know for sure that I'll be in God's kingdom. 15:29 I'd like for you look at this text. 15:32 It says, "By this all will know 15:36 that you are My disciples..." 15:39 John 13:35. 15:40 By this all of you will know that you may know 15:45 you're my disciples, 15:47 if you have, if you love one another. 15:51 So if you want to know that you belong to Him, 15:56 that you're one of His disciples, 15:59 you can know that if you love one another. 16:05 Absolutely required, 16:08 necessary that I love my brother, 16:12 I love my neighbor... 16:18 I love... 16:22 the person next door. 16:29 Didn't say a word, folks, 16:31 about if they were good, 16:35 like I am to love other people. 16:39 That's what the scripture says, must take place in my life 16:43 if the Lord is going to bless me, 16:46 you shall love your neighbor as yourself. 16:53 That's what it says, how do we love one another. 16:55 Tonight, I'm going to share three ways 17:01 in which you can love your neighbor, 17:05 three ways that you can love one another. 17:07 What the scripture tells us about it? 17:10 It says, again with here 17:12 in Luke 6:31, 17:17 excuse me, I'm sorry, James 2:8. 17:20 "If you really fulfill the royal law 17:22 according to the scripture, 17:24 you shall love your neighbor as yourself." 17:30 Do you do that? 17:32 You love your neighbor as yourself? 17:40 It's quite a question. 17:43 Do you love the person next door to you as yourself? 17:52 I would ask you 17:53 "Do you know the name of the person next door?" 18:00 Really, that's the question. 18:02 You know, I don't have any contact, 18:04 I don't know them. 18:05 Scripture says you'd to love them as yourself. 18:09 One of the great missionaries of the past. 18:12 One of the first missionaries to take Christianity to India 18:17 was a missionary by name of Moffitt. 18:20 Moffitt, when he went over to India, 18:24 hired a man to work with him 18:27 to help him in the things that needed to do and all. 18:31 And this man worked for Moffitt for quite a number of years. 18:35 And Moffitt had to leave and go on a trip, 18:39 and he left this gentleman at his house. 18:42 And while he was gone, 18:43 this man stole a large sum of money 18:48 from Moffitt and fled with it. 18:51 When Moffitt got back and found out 18:53 that the money was gone that this man had taken it, 18:56 he and another man set out to find him. 19:01 And it took them quite a number of days 19:03 until they finally located this man 19:06 that had taken the money. 19:08 And when they found him, 19:11 Moffitt dropped to his knees 19:16 and said to the man, "Forgive me. 19:19 I'm sorry. 19:22 I'm sorry that I didn't pay you enough wages. 19:28 Sorry that I didn't care for you like I should have. 19:31 Will you forgive me? 19:33 If you'll come back and work for me, 19:37 I'll pay you more wages." 19:41 And the man gave back the money, went back, 19:45 and worked with Moffitt the rest of his life. 19:50 See, I must love my neighbor as myself. 19:56 Yeah, you can't, folks, 19:58 go through life and not know your neighbor next door, 20:03 not knowing the people around you. 20:05 You can't have feelings of resentment. 20:11 You can't have feelings of criticalness 20:16 in your heart concerning 20:17 your brother, sister in the church. 20:20 You can't do that. 20:23 That is contrary to scripture. 20:26 And if you want to know that you're His disciple, 20:32 then you can know it if you love one another. 20:37 That is how we know that we are His disciples, 20:42 that we are a follower of the Lord. 20:46 That's the first point. 20:48 I will love my neighbor as myself. 20:51 So if you really want to know if you're His disciple, 20:53 if you want to know 20:55 that you're going to be in God's kingdom, 20:58 then take a good look at your heart. 21:01 And say, do I love my neighbor as myself? 21:05 Secondly, 21:07 the scripture says that you must... 21:12 It's a hard one, 21:14 that you must esteem 21:18 everyone better than yourself. 21:25 Let's look at the scripture 'cause that's what it says. 21:28 Philippians 2:3, 21:33 "Let nothing be done 21:35 through selfish ambition or conceit, 21:38 but in lowliness of mind 21:42 let each esteem others 21:46 better than himself." 21:49 Let each esteem others 21:52 better than yourself. 21:56 When you are about ready 22:01 to say something critical 22:03 about somebody else 22:06 or you're about ready to gossip 22:11 about somebody else... 22:16 to find fault with that person... 22:23 are you esteeming them 22:25 better than yourself? 22:30 Is that what you're doing? 22:33 For this, the scripture makes clear 22:35 that I must esteem 22:37 the other individual better than myself. 22:43 Now you say, "Brother Cox, 22:44 that's very difficult and how can that happen? 22:48 How can that take place?" 22:51 Let me tell you. 22:52 It does not take place 22:57 by trying. 23:00 It does not take place by trying, 23:04 by saying, "I'm going to be kinder, 23:07 I'm going to be more loving. 23:09 I'm going to be more gentle." 23:11 Doesn't take place that way. 23:15 It takes place by surrender. 23:19 Surrender sometimes, folks, 23:22 when it hurts, it hurts horribly. 23:27 But yet, I must be willing to surrender 23:32 or else the Holy Spirit 23:35 cannot do its work. 23:39 Only to a heart that is surrendered, 23:43 that is given to God can the Holy Spirit work. 23:48 Listen to this scripture. 23:49 I found in 23:51 James 3:17. 23:56 "But the wisdom that is from above..." 23:59 The wisdom that is from where? 24:01 From above. 24:02 So let's not talk about 24:04 what you and I might conjure up. 24:06 That's not what we're talking about. 24:07 We're talking about the wisdom that is from above. 24:11 Okay. 24:12 What does it tell us? 24:13 Is first what? 24:15 Pure. 24:17 Then peaceable, gentle." 24:22 Oh my! 24:24 "The wisdom that is from above 24:27 is pure, 24:30 peaceable, gentle," 24:34 and then these words 24:36 "Willing to yield." 24:40 Whoa! 24:42 Willing to yield. 24:47 When you've had an argument, 24:51 are you willing to yield? 24:57 When somebody, you know, has really taken a stand 25:02 that's contrary to what you want to believe, 25:04 are you willing to yield? 25:08 Are you willing to say okay? 25:11 It must be willing to yield "full of mercy 25:16 and good fruits 25:18 without partiality without hypocrisy." 25:24 That is what God calls you 25:27 and calls me too. 25:31 I must esteem 25:34 others better than myself. 25:40 So the next time 25:43 you're about ready to offer 25:45 some critical remark concerning somebody, 25:51 stop and think. 25:53 Are you one of His disciples? 26:01 You want to get into the kingdom of God? 26:04 Are you His disciple? 26:07 You see, the scripture lays it out quite clearly. 26:11 It says 26:14 that Jesus is the head of the church. 26:19 That's what it tells us, Colossians 1:18, 26:23 "And He is the head of the body, the church." 26:26 So Christ is the head of the church. 26:29 Need to always keep that clear 26:32 that He is the head of the church. 26:35 Okay. 26:37 Who are the members? 26:40 Huh? 26:41 You are. 26:43 You're the members. 26:44 It goes on here in 1 Corinthians 12, 26:48 and it says, "For as the body is one 26:51 and has many members, 26:53 but all the members of that one body." 26:57 Okay, so the body is one, Christ is the head, 27:00 you and I are members, 27:04 "being many are one body, 27:06 so also is Christ." 27:09 So here you have the church 27:12 made up of members, okay? 27:17 Watch as He continues. 27:18 It says here about the Church. 27:21 it says that they are one. 27:25 "If the foot should say, 27:27 'Because I'm not the hand, 27:31 am I not of the body,' 27:34 is it therefore not of the body?" 27:37 The foot says, 27:38 "Well, really I don't like being the foot. 27:42 I really want to be the hand." 27:46 Does that mean it's not of the body anymore? 27:49 No, it's still part of the body. 27:52 "And if the ear should say 'Because I'm not the eye, 27:57 I am not of the body,' 27:58 is it therefore not of the body?" 28:01 No, just because the ear would say 28:04 "I'd must rather be the eye." 28:07 But because it's not the eye, 28:11 does it cease to be part of the body? 28:14 No. 28:16 "And if the whole body were an eye..." 28:19 The scripture says "If the whole body were an eye, 28:22 where would be the hearing?" 28:25 It's necessary, has to be. 28:28 "And if the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling?" 28:33 See? It takes all the members. 28:35 Let me tell you something. 28:38 It doesn't make any difference 28:41 how young you are or how old you are, 28:46 you have a purpose in God's church. 28:49 Amen. 28:51 Every one of you, 28:53 you have a purpose in the church. 28:57 I don't care who you are. 29:00 You are a member of the church. 29:02 Verse 18 says, "But now God has set the members, 29:08 each one of them, in the body 29:10 just as He pleases." 29:15 Did you get the point? 29:16 God has set each member in the church, 29:20 each member in the body as it pleases Him, 29:26 not as we wish, but as it pleases Him, 29:30 He's put them in the body. 29:32 Okay. 29:34 They each have a purpose, 29:36 and God places them there, okay? 29:39 Now He goes on and says "And if one member suffers... 29:48 "If one member suffers, 29:52 all members suffer with it. 29:57 And if one member is honored," 30:00 what, "all members rejoice with it." 30:04 Is that the way it is with you? 30:08 In your local church 30:11 if one of the members suffer, 30:14 do you suffer with them? 30:18 If one is honored, do you rejoice with them? 30:22 That's what God has called you to do. 30:25 Now you are the body of Christ 30:29 and members individually, 30:33 each one of you 30:37 are member in the body of Christ. 30:40 And I am to suffer if they suffer 30:43 or rejoice if they rejoice. 30:46 That is part of being part of the body of Christ. 30:50 Well, 30:54 let's say that I've got a toothache. 30:59 It bothered me. 31:00 Let's say it wakes me up at 3:00 in the morning, 31:05 terrible toothache. 31:08 And I decide I'm going to go into the bathroom 31:10 and get me an aspirin and take an aspirin to see 31:14 if it'll kind of dead the pain 31:16 until I can get to the dentist in the morning. 31:19 Okay. 31:20 So I get up and I walk into the bathroom, 31:23 and I'm going to get some aspirin 31:26 out of the medicine cabinet. 31:29 And I get into the bathroom 31:32 and my hands won't move. 31:35 I can't move my hands. 31:36 I try to move them but they won't move. 31:38 And they say "Good enough for you. 31:42 You should have known 31:44 that you shouldn't be eating all that sugar, that candy. 31:47 You knew that would give you problems with your teeth. 31:51 It's good enough, tough. 31:53 You'll just have to suffer." 31:55 Is that the way my hands treat me? 31:58 No my hands sympathize with my tooth. 32:06 Dear friend, why is this that when one of the church members, 32:11 the foot, the hand, the eye, the ear has a problem? 32:17 And we say, "Oh good enough for you. 32:21 You shouldn't have been acting that way." 32:26 What are we talking about? 32:28 Who called us to do that? 32:31 No. 32:32 If they suffer, 32:35 then I need to suffer with them. 32:38 If they're honored, sure, I can rejoice with them. 32:42 You know, we sing a song. 32:45 It's called the Family of God. 32:48 You'll notice what it says, it says, 32:51 "You will notice that we say brother and sister 32:54 'round here," okay? 32:57 "It's because we're a family." 33:01 So near. 33:04 "And these folks are so near. 33:06 If one has a heart ache, 33:10 we all share the tears, 33:13 and rejoice in each victory in this family so dear." 33:20 That's what God has called the family to be. 33:23 I'm to love 33:27 my brother, my sister, 33:31 I'm to consider that person 33:35 better than myself. 33:42 If I'm going to be His disciple, 33:48 I must consider that person 33:50 better than myself. 33:55 In my devotion this morning, 33:58 I was reading, 34:02 and I'm reading right now, Prophets and Kings, 34:08 I came across this statement, 34:11 page 645. 34:14 "Even some who desire 34:17 the work of God to prosper," okay? 34:21 "Even some who desire the work of God to prosper, 34:26 will yet weaken the hands of His servants. 34:31 People who desired for the work to go forward 34:34 and prosper weakened the hands of His servants 34:38 by hearing, reporting, and half believing 34:44 the slander, the boast, the menace of His adversaries." 34:53 I hear something, 34:56 don't know really whether its fact or whether it's not, 34:59 and you don't even have to completely believe it. 35:02 All you got to do is half believe it 35:07 and talk about it. 35:10 And what do I do? 35:12 I weaken the hands of His servants. 35:17 Now, folks, in the family of God, 35:21 that's not what we do. 35:26 We don't do that. 35:28 I must not be critical. 35:33 I must 35:36 keep my thoughts, 35:40 what I have to say, 35:42 positive if I'm going to love my neighbor as myself. 35:51 You remember, 35:54 they brought this woman to Jesus 35:58 caught in the act of adultery. 36:02 Now, folks, this was not something 36:05 that was hearsay. 36:09 I mean, here she was, she's guilty. 36:15 And you remember Jesus just knelt down, 36:18 and by the way, 36:20 no place do you find in scripture 36:23 where Jesus, 36:26 how should I say, 36:30 criticized or was critical of other individuals, 36:35 didn't do this. 36:37 He knelt down, 36:38 and He wrote their sins in the sand. 36:43 But He did not publicly say "This is your sin." 36:49 He wrote their sin in the sand. 36:51 They knew it was their sin. 36:54 And one after another, they got up and walked away. 36:58 And after they had left, 37:02 He said, "Where are your accusers?" 37:05 And she said, "No one, Lord." 37:10 And Jesus said to her, 37:12 "Neither do I condemn you, 37:17 go and sin no more." 37:19 Now let me tell you something. 37:22 I've held evangelistic meeting after evangelistic meeting. 37:31 And I've had some husband 37:34 or some wife come to me 37:38 and want me to go 37:40 and talk to their spouse, 37:44 to their husband or their wife. 37:48 This husband or this wife 37:51 has never accepted Jesus Christ. 37:57 Why? 37:59 Because that wife 38:01 or that husband was condemning. 38:06 There are many, many, many spouses 38:11 that are not in the church today 38:16 because their partner is condemning. 38:20 You cannot continually be condemning. 38:23 Let me tell you a secret folks, a person cannot overcome, 38:29 they cannot overcome 38:31 if you continually condemn them. 38:34 It won't work. 38:37 And don't think that Jesus didn't know what He was doing 38:39 when He said to that woman, 38:41 "Neither do I condemn you, go your way, sin no more." 38:45 He took the condemnation off of her, 38:48 then she could overcome. 38:51 If you got a spouse 38:55 that never given their heart to the Lord, 38:58 the last thing on earth 39:01 you should do is be condemning of them. 39:07 If you're interested in them, 39:09 giving their heart to the Lord and serving the Lord, 39:12 then don't, 39:17 don't be critical 39:20 of that individual. 39:23 Be kind, the wisdom that is from above is, what? 39:27 It's gentle, 39:30 peaceable, yielding. 39:34 That's what God has asked us to do. 39:38 This is what He wants us to be. 39:41 Well, it's very important 39:47 that you lift the condemnation off the person, 39:53 the sin off the individual. 39:56 Look at another text with me here. 39:58 Luke 11:4, 40:02 "And forgive us our," what, 40:05 "sins for we also forgive everyone 40:09 who is indebted to us." 40:13 Forgive us our sins. 40:14 Now there's a reason for that, folks. 40:18 It's because a person can't make progress spiritually 40:22 if they're burdened down with sin. 40:26 You can't do that. 40:28 You've got to get the sin off the person, 40:30 lift it off of them. 40:34 When I was a boy growing up, 40:38 my father was very, very fond of hunting and fishing. 40:43 And so we went hunting, 40:45 and one of the things that we did was 40:49 went deer hunting in the fall, 40:52 that's something that we always did. 40:54 We lived out in the hills of Oklahoma. 40:59 And there where we lived was an old Indian. 41:05 And he each year, always went out deer hunting, 41:08 and he always came back with a deer. 41:12 This one particular year, 41:14 he went out hunting and he got his deer. 41:17 But he walked everywhere he went. 41:20 And so he was about 5 miles back in the mountains 41:24 when he shot that deer. 41:26 Didn't have a car. 41:28 Laid the deer on his back 41:31 because you had to bring the deer into town 41:34 and you had to weigh it and register it, 41:36 that was required by law. 41:39 And so he laid the deer on his back, 41:41 carried it the 5 miles back into town, 41:46 hung it on the scale. 41:48 When he hung it on the scale, it said, 75 pounds. 41:54 And again, warden there said, "It weighs 75 pounds." 41:59 And the old Indian said, 42:01 "Let it hang their little while, 42:02 it'll get heavier." 42:05 Now that is very, very true, folks. 42:11 When it comes to sin, the longer you carry your sin, 42:16 the heavier it gets. 42:19 You see? 42:20 I have to pull it off. 42:22 It's got to be taken away. 42:23 I cannot lay condemnation on that person over and over 42:28 and expect them ever, ever to gain. 42:34 So don't condemn people. 42:36 Third point. 42:39 Third point is simply that mercy, 42:46 that mercy triumphs over judgment. 42:52 Mercy triumphs over judgment. 42:57 Look at a text with me. 42:58 James 2:13, 43:02 "For judgment is without mercy to the one 43:06 who has shown no mercy." 43:09 Law... 43:12 Law has no mercy. 43:16 Law is given to condemn. 43:20 So if you're just going to condemn 43:23 or if you're going to go by law, 43:27 then no, it's not going be there. 43:30 But it says, the text says, 43:35 "For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy." 43:39 But then it says, 43:41 "Mercy triumphs over judgment." 43:47 Now I want to take you to the sanctuary 43:50 'cause in the sanctuary of old, 43:52 you remember, there was the ark. 43:55 And you remember, in the ark... 43:59 In the ark was law of God. 44:04 The law of God was there. 44:07 And that was there 44:09 to give the people guidance, direction. 44:11 I need to know the law 44:12 because it gives me guidance and direction. 44:17 But above the law was the mercy seat. 44:23 See, that was above the law. 44:26 Dear friend, if you're going to do 44:29 what Christ wants you to do, 44:31 mercy must be above the law. 44:38 You and I are sinners. 44:42 I don't need condemnation. 44:47 I need mercy. 44:51 And mercy must come above, 44:53 mercy triumphs over judgment. 44:57 So the next time 44:59 somebody has done something wrong, 45:04 then just remember, 45:06 rather than casting judgment upon them, 45:10 you need to show them mercy. 45:14 Mercy must triumph over law or over judgment 45:21 if it's going to be what God would have it to be. 45:26 Well, I want to read you another statement 45:33 because I find people who are critical. 45:39 They always have something to say 45:43 that is condemning 45:46 or is pushing down in everything. 45:51 I want you to listen to this. 45:54 "There is no sure way of weakening spirituality..." 46:00 Okay, get it clear. 46:01 "No sure way of weakening spirituality 46:04 than by cherishing envy, suspicion, 46:10 faultfinding, and evil surmising." 46:16 You hear something, you hear a rumor. 46:21 And what do I do? 46:24 Just evil surmising. 46:27 No, that's not what you should do. 46:32 That is not what God wants us to do. 46:34 "On the other hand, the strongest witness 46:39 that God has sent His Son into the world 46:42 is the existence of harmony." 46:47 Are you interested in Jesus coming back? 46:50 Yeah. 46:51 Are you interested in the work being finished up? 46:56 Then, dear friend, 46:58 what needs to be done is we need to have harmony 47:02 and harmony only comes 47:07 if I'm willing to love my neighbor as myself, 47:13 to esteem others better than myself, 47:19 to put mercy above judgment. 47:23 Listen as the statement goes on. 47:26 "And union among men of varied dispositions 47:31 who form His church." 47:33 Now let me make something here 47:36 'cause you have people of varied dispositions, 47:42 people that have strong opinions. 47:47 And many, many times in church leadership, 47:52 we have men of very, very strong opinions, 47:59 which is not wrong, 48:02 it's not wrong to have a strong opinion. 48:08 Different dispositions, that's part of the church. 48:11 That's because some are the eyes, 48:13 some are the ears, and so forth. 48:15 But listen to this. 48:22 "But in order to do this, 48:25 they must place themselves under Christ's command." 48:30 If you don't do that, 48:32 you're not going to have harmony in the church. 48:35 It's not going to be what God wants it to be. 48:37 I have to put myself under Christ's command. 48:44 And if I put myself under Christ's command... 48:50 then I'm going to love my neighbors myself. 48:54 I'm going to esteem others better than myself. 49:00 I'm going to place mercy 49:04 above judgment. 49:08 Are you following me? 49:10 This is what we are to be. 49:13 And only as we do this, 49:16 will God bless and use us in a very special way. 49:27 I just want to see some hands here. 49:30 How many of you know what I'm talking about 49:34 if I had to say straight testimony? 49:38 You know what that term means? 49:40 Quite a few of you. 49:41 People used to use it. 49:43 They say, "Oh, you got to come back 49:45 to the straight testimony." 49:47 And they were hard, and they were critical, 49:50 and they criticized, 49:51 and they were always condemning. 49:54 And they thought that was the straight testimony. 49:58 I want to read you a statement. 50:00 The Lord calls for a revival 50:03 of the straight testimony born in years past. 50:08 Okay, let's see what the straight testimony is. 50:11 We need the Pentecostal energy that will come 50:17 for the Lord has promised to send His spirit 50:20 as an all conquering power into the hearts of many 50:25 who have been long in the truth, 50:27 there's entered a hard judicial spirit. 50:31 They are sharp, critical, faultfinding. 50:36 They have climbed upon the judgment seat, 50:38 pronounced sentence 50:39 upon those who do not conform to their ideas. 50:43 God calls upon them to come down 50:45 and bow before Him in repentance, 50:48 confessing their sins. 50:50 That's the straight testimony. 50:53 That I have to come down 50:55 and put my life right with the Lord 50:59 if I'm going to do what God wants me to do. 51:06 James 5:19, 51:12 "Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, 51:17 and someone turns him back," okay, 51:22 "let him know that 51:24 he who has turned a sinner from the error of his way 51:29 will save a soul from death 51:32 and cover a multitude of sins." 51:41 I had a friend. 51:43 He passed away a few years ago now. 51:48 I've told this story before, 51:51 but I never told this part of his life 51:55 because he was living. 51:58 Since he's passed away, 52:01 I want to tell something about him. 52:03 He was wild. 52:06 And probably the wildest individual 52:08 I have ever known. 52:12 Lived a very hard life, 52:15 drank, 52:17 did everything that you can think of. 52:21 But he was converted, 52:23 gave his heart to the Lord, 52:26 came to work with me. 52:29 And after we had been working for several months, 52:34 one day he just didn't show up. 52:38 Didn't know what had happened to him, 52:39 he just vanished almost. 52:43 And day after day went by, 52:47 and Dan wasn't anywhere. 52:51 And then people began to say to me, 52:54 "You know where Dan is?" 52:57 And I said, "No, I don't know where Dan is." 52:58 They said he's drunk. 53:01 And I said, "He's what?" 53:02 And they said "He's drunk." 53:04 They said he's been drunk for days. 53:09 Two weeks passed. 53:12 And after two weeks, Dan showed up, 53:18 had slept in his clothes for two weeks. 53:24 Hadn't shaved, hadn't taken a bath, 53:28 had been absolutely on a drunk for almost two weeks... 53:37 and came in to my office and he said to me, 53:43 "You want to know where I've been?" 53:46 And I said, "No, I don't want to know 53:48 where you've been." 53:50 He said "You want to know what I've been doing?" 53:54 And I said, "No, I don't want to know 53:56 what you've been doing." 53:59 He said, "Well, what do you want to know?" 54:03 And I said, "I want to know if you love Jesus?" 54:08 He said, "Yes, I love Jesus." 54:10 I said, "Then go get yourself cleaned up." 54:14 That was the last, 54:16 never turned back from that day forward, 54:20 just spent his life winning souls for Jesus Christ, 54:25 clear the day of his death. 54:29 You see, dear friends, 54:30 you and I are called to give people mercy, 54:36 called them to find the Lord 54:39 to give their heart to them, to you. 54:43 You want a sure indication? 54:46 You want a sure indication that you're saved? 54:50 Let me give you a sure indication 54:51 that you're saved. 54:53 1 John 3:14, 54:58 "We know that we have passed from death to life..." 55:03 We've what? 55:05 "We've passed from death to life, 55:07 because we love the brethren." 55:12 That's the way you can know if you're saved. 55:15 You've passed from death to life 55:18 if you love the brethren. 55:21 So, dear friend, 55:23 I'm going to call for change tonight. 55:26 I'm going to ask you here, I'm going to ask the people 55:30 that are watching by television, 55:33 I'm going to ask you to make a covenant tonight, 55:39 I'm going to ask you to make a covenant with God 55:44 that you will say, "I love my neighbor as myself. 55:48 I'll esteem others better than myself. 55:51 I'll put mercy ahead of judgment." 55:55 That you'll make that covenant with God 55:58 and begin to bring about change 56:03 that you and I might prepare our hearts 56:06 for the coming of the Lord. 56:08 If you would like to do that, 56:11 you'd like to enter into a covenant with God. 56:13 I'm going to ask you to stand on your feet. 56:18 I'm going to ask those people that are watching by television 56:23 that if you're willing to enter into a covenant with the Lord 56:27 and say, "Lord, I won't be critical. 56:32 I won't be faultfinding, 56:35 but I love my neighbor as myself. 56:41 If you're willing to do that, wherever you're at tonight, 56:45 just bow your head with me in prayer. 56:48 Father, we come to you this evening... |
Revised 2019-09-12