Participants: III, Charles W. Drake
Series Code: OTR
Program Code: OTR000865
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01:00 I'm privileged and honored to be able
01:05 to be here this evening to share with you 01:11 this great camp meeting experience. 01:15 It's been good so far hasn't it? Amen. 01:17 I know it's been good because my friend 01:20 Ron Halverson has been here. 01:22 And I know he's always good. 01:25 I know you've had a good time, 01:27 because God has been here. Amen. 01:29 And that's what is most important, 01:31 can you say amen? Amen. I want to thank 01:35 the officers of your conference for inviting 01:39 me to come. This is my first time in Oklahoma 01:45 camp meeting. I think I've driven through 01:48 Oklahoma twice, but I don't know a whole 01:51 lot about Oklahoma but I'm glad to be here. 01:54 And what I've seen so far has been great. 01:57 Your camp meeting, your camp, your campus 02:00 is beautiful and I was just, I was just awed 02:06 as I drove in this evening and saw the horses 02:10 just grazing on either side of the road. 02:12 Its just the great good feeling and then I saw 02:16 the tents and man that's old camp meeting 02:19 you know. It's good; it's good to have air 02:22 conditioning too, because I remember those 02:24 old hot tents, where we would fan and 02:26 it be 90 degrees outside, but it's good 02:28 to be able, able to be here and to share 02:31 with you from the word of God for the 02:33 next few evenings. Your theme is proclaiming 02:38 the truth, reviving the hope. And I want 02:42 to share with you for the next few days 02:46 some very practical truth, very practical 02:52 Christian living. I believe we are living 02:55 in a day and a time when it's time to talk tough. 03:01 Amen. And so I'll be doing some 03:03 tough talking. All I ask is you don't throw 03:07 things at me. And I ask you that because 03:10 we're going to be on TV, so you don't wanna be 03:12 seen to be having things thrown at you. 03:18 Let's bow our heads, talk to the Lord. 03:22 Our Father, we thank you for the blessings 03:26 that you've already given to us. 03:30 We thank you for your word, for your truth, 03:35 for this encampment, for the leadership 03:38 of this great conference. Now as we open your 03:42 word, you know what we need and you 03:46 promised to supply our needs, 03:49 and so we claim that promise tonight in Jesus 03:54 name, amen. I would like to draw your attention 03:59 to the Book of Matthew. Matthew chapter 16 04:07 and I should like to reading your hearing 04:08 beginning with verse 1. Matthew 16 verse 1, 04:13 I'm reading from the New King James version 04:17 of the scriptures. Matthew 16 verse 1, 04:23 Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, 04:26 and testing Him asked that He would show 04:30 them a sign from heaven. He answered 04:34 and said unto them, when it is evening 04:37 you say, it will be fair weather, 04:39 for the sky is red. And in the morning, 04:42 it will be foul weather today for the sky 04:45 is red and threatening. Hypocrites! 04:50 You know how to discern the face of the sky, 04:54 but you cannot discern the signs of times. 04:59 A wicked and adulterous generation seeks 05:03 after a sign, and no sign shall be given 05:07 to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 05:14 There are some people who live in this world, 05:20 who are blind to time. To be blind means 05:26 you cannot see. To be blind means 05:27 you loose some of sight stimulation. 05:30 You cannot see a sunset. You cannot see 05:33 green grass or see the beautiful fall colors. 05:37 You loose a sense of cemetery. 05:39 To be blind is difficult, but to be blind to time 05:46 is a serious situation. There are some 05:50 folks who are never on time. 05:57 There are some folk who are always too late. 06:01 They are seldom early. You and I have met 06:05 folk who are always slow. 06:10 They are always late. They're never apologetic 06:14 for their lateness. Blind to time. 06:20 In scripture there are two words for time. 06:24 One is Kairos, I'm sorry Kronos. 06:29 Kronos is chronological time and then 06:34 there is Kairos which is ontological or 06:38 God's time. Kronos means that 1 O'clock always 06:45 follows 12 O'clock. Airplanes are supposed 06:50 to run on Kronos. You go to work on Kronos. 06:56 You clock in at 8, you clock out at five. 06:58 Schools run on Kronos. Even our human bodies 07:04 run on a clock. If you go to a foreign country 07:08 and your clock gets off it's hard for you 07:10 to sleep, it's hard for you to live. 07:12 Kronos is predictable time. 07:17 Kairos is no particular point in time. 07:23 It's God's time, so its on time all the time. 07:31 When a woman thinks that she may be pregnant. 07:37 She goes to the doctor and the doctor asks 07:42 her a series of questions. And based upon 07:45 the answers the doctor gives her a 07:48 Kronos answer. The doctor says your child 07:54 will be born August the 1st. 07:57 But most babies come on Kairos. 08:02 Amen. There are few that come when the doctor 08:08 said they're supposed to come. 08:10 They come early or they come late. 08:13 Parties start and end on Kairos. 08:18 The invitation may say Kronos 7 O'clock 08:22 the party starts, but only nerds show up 08:26 at 7 O'clock. Some churches operate 08:32 on Kronos. They must start at 11 O'clock 08:39 on the dot and they must end at 12 O'clock 08:45 on the dot. I've never understood that. 08:49 I was at a church recently and it was about 08:53 five minutes after 11 and the folks were 08:56 rushing said we're late, we're late, 08:57 we're late and I said alright, let's go, 09:00 let's go and then they said now we got 09:02 to finish at 12. And I said what's going to 09:04 happen after 12? We're going to have lunch. 09:06 What's gonna happen after that? They looked 09:09 at me and I said so then why do we have 09:12 to end at 12. There are some churches 09:17 who begin on Kronos and somewhere 09:20 in the service they switch from Kronos to Kairos 09:24 and they end when they want to end. 09:27 Amen. The people in our text today know Kronos. 09:33 They know predictable chronological time. 09:37 They know clock time. They have studied 09:40 the prophecies, but they do not know life time, 09:44 they do not know God's time. 09:46 They can tell you about the moment, 09:49 but not the meaning of the moment. 09:51 They can discuss Kronos, but they have no 09:54 idea about God's time. They are time blind. 10:01 These two groups of people, Pharisees 10:06 and Sadducees represent a certain element 10:11 of Christianity in the last days. 10:14 They are two extremes. The Pharisees were the 10:20 traditionalists. They were conservative in 10:23 their theology. They accepted all of the 10:26 Hebrew Scriptures, but they adding to the 10:28 scriptures their own teachings. 10:31 They believed in spirits, they believed in angels 10:35 and miracles and the Holy Spirit. 10:37 They care little for politics, but was looking 10:41 for a political military messiah to overthrow 10:45 the Roman presage. The Pharisees of today 10:52 are traditionalists, conservatives who get 10:57 caught up in discussions about whether 11:01 it's right or wrong to wear jewelry. 11:05 They get caught up in discussions about dress. 11:10 They get caught up in discussions about the 11:14 proper music for worship. They get caught up 11:18 in discussions about the proper diet 11:21 and they make music salvation, they make music 11:25 the diet. They get, they have business meetings 11:28 and board meetings about what do you lay 11:31 on the communion table. Is anybody out there? 11:35 Yeah. Hello. They have long theological 11:41 discussions They are, they love intense 11:46 prophetic studies. They love the deep theological 11:50 discussions. Ellen White says the Pharisees 11:54 were great debaters. They were those 11:56 who were involved in the letter of the law. 12:00 They did a whole lot of talking, 12:02 but not a lot of doing. In fact she says 12:08 if it were for the Sadducees perhaps Jesus 12:12 would on the human circumstances would 12:14 not have been crucified, the Pharisees 12:17 would have talked him to death. 12:23 But then that are the Sadducees of the day. 12:26 Their religion was based upon a personal ethical 12:31 code involving moral principles established 12:35 from within. They were the rationalists 12:38 of the day. They did not believe in angels 12:41 and in miracles. They were the wealthy 12:44 ruling class. They had no Messianic Hope. 12:48 Their only interest was in maintaining 12:51 the status quo and they saw Jesus as a 12:55 threat to their liberal positions. 12:58 Today Sadducees are the ones who define 13:02 their own moral standards. Whatever the Pharisees 13:08 says is wrong, the Sadducees say is alright. 13:15 So the Pharisees talk about short skirts 13:20 and the Sadducees say you can wear whatever 13:23 you want to wear. Are you out there? 13:26 Amen. The Pharisees say that you have get 13:30 off of this and get off of that and get off 13:32 of that and get off of that if you wanna make 13:34 it heaven. The Sadducees say a little wine 13:39 for the stomach sake won't hurt anybody. 13:43 The Sadducees saw the Pharisees as fanatical 13:49 hicks who are out of step with the time. 13:53 The Pharisees saw the Sadducees as corrupt 13:58 wealthy plutocrats who had surrendered 14:01 to worldliness. They joined forces against 14:07 Jesus, because Jesus is neither a Pharisees 14:11 nor a Sadducees. Amen. Jesus says I've a got 14:16 a new thing. It's not what you think, 14:19 it's not what you think, it's all about coming 14:23 to the foot of the Master and saying all 14:27 to Jesus I surrender. Amen. They ask for 14:32 a sign. They say Jesus, prove to us that 14:38 you are the Messiah. They the last thing 14:42 they wanted was for Jesus to give them a sign. 14:48 The Pharisees, their request was show us 14:51 a sign from heaven. The Pharisees, 14:55 they didn't believe in heaven. 14:58 The Sadducees knew that Jesus did not work 15:03 miracles on demand. So they ask the question 15:07 that neither wanted an answer for. 15:11 Both of them, the Pharisees and 15:15 the Sadducees operated on Kronos 15:19 and operated on a faithless human based 15:24 mental religion. Did you hear what I said? 15:30 Both of them operated on a religion of the mind 15:36 and not a religion of the heart. 15:40 Jesus comes along and Jesus says if you 15:45 love me, keep my commandments. 15:48 Amen. Not keep my commandment because 15:51 you're afraid of hell, not keep my commandments, 15:54 because you wanna look holy and pleasing in 15:57 men's sight, but he said I only want to you keep 16:00 my commandments if you love me. 16:03 He said both of you are wrong. 16:07 They were blind, but they were not only blind, 16:12 they were willingly blind. From Matthew chapter 1, 16:17 "An angel comes to Joseph and says your 16:20 fiancee is with child of the Holy Ghost going 16:24 to call his name Jesus" In Matthew 2, 16:27 "Wise man arrived in town saying where is he, 16:30 an astrological phenomena, a new star 16:32 led us here." In Matthew 3, "He is 16:36 baptized in Jordan by John as he comes up 16:39 out of the water. A dove descends 16:42 and a voice says this is my beloved son 16:45 in whom I am well pleased and the church folk 16:49 said we want a sign." In Matthew 4, 16:52 "He is in Galilee healing all kinds of diseases. 16:55 The possessed are free, the epileptic are combed, 16:58 the paralyze moved, the lame walk, 17:01 the blind see, but the church folk said 17:04 we want you to give us a sign." In Matthew 5:7 17:08 "He speaks like no one has ever spoken before 17:11 in the sermon on the mount." In Matthew 8, 17:14 "He cures a man with leprosy, he cures a 17:17 centurion's servant. He heals Peter and Peter's 17:20 mother-in-law, he calms the angry seas, 17:23 but the church folks say we want a sign." 17:27 In Matthew 9, "He give the word a paraplegic 17:31 picks up his bed and walks. Jairus' dead 17:34 daughter is raised, a woman makes her way 17:37 through the crowd and touches the hem of his 17:40 garment and is healed, but the church folks 17:43 say prove to us you are the Messiah. 17:45 In Matthew 10:12 "He commissions 12 apostles 17:49 and ordains them with Holy Ghost power. 17:53 In Matthew 13 "He gives parables." 17:56 In Matthew 14 "He feeds 5000 18:00 and walks on the water." In Matthew 15, 18:03 "He cast out devils and feed 4000 more. 18:06 Now in Matthew 16 they say "Prove to us that 18:11 you are the Messiah " Not just blind, 18:17 but would not see, refuse to see truth, 18:21 the problem the Bible says is they came not 18:25 to trust him, but they came to test him. 18:30 They were looking for a reason not to believe. 18:36 They understand Kronos, but had no comprehension 18:40 of Kairos. I would suggest you tonight that 18:46 it is a serious offense to continue to doubt God 18:52 in the face of overwhelming evidence. 18:58 There is a fine line between the thirst for 19:04 truth and the gaining of knowledge for 19:10 argument sake. And I'm afraid there are some 19:15 of us who study, study, study, study, 19:20 so we can argue, argue, argue, argue, 19:24 but the word of God has not had an affect 19:29 on our lives. We have it here, but we don't have 19:34 it here. George Knight, that great author says 19:42 unfortunately sometimes it's easier to be a 19:47 Seventh-day Adventist than it is to be 19:50 a Christian. Because we know it, we have it, 19:59 we've studied it. Some of you remember years ago 20:05 when we had the old Bible studies where you had 20:10 them the Dukane Projector. You remember that? 20:16 And you study for weeks and weeks and weeks 20:20 and weeks. Every Tuesday night for an hour, 20:23 somebody will come to your house, 20:25 set up a screen, set up a projector 20:27 and every time it go beep, you move it one 20:29 time and you read the little script for 30 20:32 it was 32, 36 lessons. And when we got finished, 20:38 we will be able to explain 250 days. 20:40 We knew Daniel 2, we knew Revelation 13, 20:44 we knew Revelation 14, we knew it all, 20:46 but sometimes we only knew the doctrines, 20:50 but did not know Jesus. Amen. We had it up here 20:55 and not in here. It's about time my brothers 20:59 and my sisters that we understand that 21:03 this BIBLE is no good unless what's in it 21:07 is to transfer it from here to here. 21:10 Amen. Brad Rotter says that these Pharisees 21:17 and Sadducees did not need intellectual 21:20 enlightenment, they needed spiritual 21:23 renovation. And I'm afraid that church folk 21:29 haven't changed much, that in this year 2007 21:36 that we are still time blind with signs of 21:40 Christ coming at the end of the world all around 21:42 us there are some of us who still won't see. 21:47 I said won't seat, not can't see. 21:51 There are some who are still trying to find 21:54 a reason not to obey the word of the Lord. 22:00 They are some who say the church is too narrow, 22:03 and that's true in some places. 22:05 There are some who say that the people 22:08 are hypocritical, and that's true in 22:11 some places. There are those who say 22:13 there is corruption in the church, that 22:16 there is prejudice in the church, 22:18 that the church is old fashioned, 22:20 but my brothers and my sisters in these last 22:23 days we must divorce our attitude about 22:27 God's earthly church from our attitude 22:29 about God's true church. Amen. 22:32 This church is defective. It's defective because 22:38 you and I are still in it. And I don't care 22:44 how long you have been in the church. 22:46 I don't care how long your Adventist 22:49 roots are, we are still sinners saved by grace. 22:53 Say amen out there. Amen. 22:55 This church is corrupt because we are 22:57 corrupted. But God's church is a victorious 23:05 church; God's church is where our eyes 23:09 ought to be set on not on men, 23:11 but on God. I got a new theology some disagree, 23:21 but I still believe it. We've said for years 23:26 the church is a hospital. How many of you 23:29 heard that? I disagree. You know why, because 23:35 no one goes to the hospital and stays 23:38 for years. There are only three ways to 23:47 get out of a hospital. One is you get well 23:51 and leave. Two is they declare there is nothing 23:55 more they can do for you and the third way 23:58 is you die and they roll you out. Am I right? 24:02 Yes. If the church, if the church is a hospital 24:09 and we are still in it, that means either 24:14 we're dead, or we are dying. I heard someone 24:22 say the other day that instead of a church 24:26 be like an hospital it ought to be like a bar. 24:34 Oh! I shocked some Adventists. 24:39 You know why because in a bar when 24:43 you run out of money somebody will buy 24:45 you a drink. In a bar if you are lonely 24:54 and need someone to talk to, someone will 24:57 talk to you in a bar. Hello, in a bar if you get 25:03 so drunk you fall off the stool or fall off out 25:06 of the chair, someone will pick you up. 25:13 In the church if you fall off the. 25:21 Somebody want to call a business meeting. 25:23 Am I right? Come on now. In a bar, 25:31 if you get so drunk in a responsible bar 25:35 whatever it is. If you get so drunk that 25:39 you cannot drive yourself home some 25:42 stranger will put you in their car and take you 25:46 to your door step. The church of God needs 25:53 to be more loving, more kind, more reaching out 25:58 one to another instead of sitting up 26:01 in our white hospital cloth acting like 26:05 we're doctors with stethoscopes around 26:07 our necks walking around trying to see 26:10 who is eating the right thing and doing 26:12 the right thing. Amen. When I understand Kairos, 26:21 I understand it's about time for me to start 26:25 walking differently. I walk with an assurance. 26:31 I walk with a holy boldness. 26:34 I not only know who I'm, but I know whose I'm. 26:40 I'm the child of the all mighty God himself. 26:46 Amen. I'm somebody, because I'm God's child. 26:51 Amen. Not only do I know who I'm and 27:00 whose I'm, but I know where the power is. 27:04 You see there are too many of us who still 27:07 try to run on our own power, 27:10 but when I understand Kairos I understand 27:14 God's doing; I understand that all the power 27:18 is in his hands. Amen. When I was a boy 27:27 on Friday, on Thursday, my mother would send 27:32 me to the bakery to buy day old bread. 27:38 You don't know about that I'm sure. 27:42 But we live around the corner and down 27:44 the street from a bakery and when they bring the, 27:50 you know the trucks would bring the bread 27:51 back, it be day old we go around and get it 27:54 at half price. And every Thursday mom would send 27:57 me down there to get several loaves, 28:01 to last us for the week of day old bread. 28:05 And I would go down the street around 28:09 the corner over the railroad tracks down the 28:13 street to the bakery. Over the railroad tracks 28:17 just on the other side of the tracks lived 28:21 a bully. And that bully knew that I would run 28:29 from a fight. I was not the fighting kind. 28:34 Sometimes I go way round the other way, 28:39 so I wouldn't have to face the bully. 28:43 But sometimes mom would give me a time 28:45 limit and so all I have to get and as all over 28:48 the railroad tracks, I kind of go over slow 28:50 and look and run past his house. 28:55 But inevitably he run off, sometimes I ride 28:59 my bike and as I cross the railroad track 29:02 I peddle as hard as I could, but he'd step 29:04 in the middle of the sidewalk and just stop 29:06 my bike. And I stand there and tremble. 29:09 While he said anything he want to say to me. 29:13 Well one Thursday I had two cousins 29:17 who were visiting me. I would run from a fight, 29:22 they run to a fight. And mom said its time 29:28 to go to the bakery and I said can you guys 29:31 go with me. Yes, we walked down the street, 29:33 around the corner, over the railroad track 29:37 and there he was I can see him today. 29:39 I have been about 10-years-old, 29:40 I can see him today which was about three 29:42 years ago but anyway. 29:49 Over the railroad tracks and there he was 29:51 standing in the sidewalk waiting. 29:57 I walked right up to him, right about that 30:00 close to him. And I said if you don't get out 30:04 of my way I'm going to and I have gave him 30:08 some unconverted language. His eyes 30:12 bucked and he jumped out of the way and 30:17 after that I never had any more trouble 30:20 with him. I had bravery because my cousins 30:28 were standing behind me. I knew that if 30:34 he battered and I brawl the wrong way 30:38 my cousins would tear him apart. 30:42 All my brother and my sister, when the bullies 30:45 of life face us, we need to understand 30:48 that there is a power that is there 30:52 who can deal with anything and anybody 30:55 at any time, all we have got to do is be able 30:59 to stand and say I serve a risen savior, 31:03 and all power is in his hands. Amen. 31:09 I walk differently when I understand Kairos. 31:13 I have a discerning attitude. 31:16 I see what other folk can't see. 31:18 Some see The Da Vinci Code as a book 31:22 or a movie. We see it as an attack 31:24 on the divinity of Christ. If Christ is 31:27 not divine, if Christ is just a man, 31:31 we don't have to believe in him, 31:33 we don't have to believe him. 31:38 We have a discerning attitude. 31:40 Some see the latest books and movies 31:43 on demonism and spiritualism simply as 31:47 entertainment, but we see the move of Satan 31:50 establishing the superiority of demonic 31:53 power. Some see child abuse and school 31:57 shootings and lawlessness and same sex marriages 32:01 and abortion issues simply as a breakdown 32:05 of a sociological society or an enlightened 32:09 post modern man, but we see the fulfillment 32:13 of Second Timothy 3:1 to 5. 32:18 When I understand Kairos, I know that its 32:25 time for me to start preparing differently. 32:29 I have a closer examination of myself. 32:35 It's me, it's me, it's me oh Lord standing 32:41 in the need of prayer. I look at me, 32:45 I don't have time to look at you. I don't have 32:50 time to figure out if you go making 32:52 into the kingdom or not. I have got to make 32:55 sure I get into the kingdom. Amen. 33:00 I will start praying more, so that my prayer 33:04 life is not a service of ritualism, 33:11 but is a life exercise. If some of us talk 33:16 to one another, the way we talk to God, 33:19 we think we were crazy. If I got up every 33:27 morning and say to my wife good morning 33:30 dear I'm glad you slept well last night. 33:33 I'll see you at noontime. At noontime I say 33:37 afternoon dear thank you for the lunch, 33:40 I'll see you at supper time. At supper time 33:43 I say thank you dear for the supper 33:46 I'll see you at bed time. When I got to bed 33:50 time I'd say thank you dear for having 33:53 a great day I hope that you have a good 33:55 night and then we go to sleep and wake up 33:57 in the morning and I say good morning dear, 33:59 I hope you had a good night. 34:01 And yet that's the way some of us talk to God. 34:04 Am I right or wrong? We say the same 34:07 things over and over and over again 34:11 and the reason is if you have someone 34:15 who you don't have a relationship with, 34:17 you have nothing to talk about, 34:25 except when you get in trouble. 34:31 I have three children, and you have children, 34:33 three of them are different don't you. 34:36 I have a son who is quiet, he doesn't 34:40 talk much. He gives you one syllable answer. 34:47 How was your day? Good. How was your night? 34:51 Great. How is your job? Fine. Just the way 34:56 he talks. But when he was younger 35:00 and he got in trouble, that brother could 35:03 talk man. You know, you just look at him. 35:08 Dad, let me explain, man he go on and on 35:11 on and on, dad here's what I need, 35:13 if he needed some sneakers, 35:15 dad look at these sneakers and say 35:17 so on so on so on or even jeans, 35:18 dad I've got to have this, I got to have this. 35:20 That brother could talk, some of us relate 35:24 to God like that. We can bend his ear 35:27 when we get in trouble, but when times 35:31 are good, we give him one word answers. 35:36 When I understand Kairos, I talk to him all 35:41 the time. When I understand Kairos, 35:45 I praise more. And there is a theology, 35:52 in some of us that says in church we ought 35:57 not praise. There are some who say that 36:01 my culture is not a praised culture, 36:04 but that ain't true. All of us praise something. 36:11 All of us are moved by something. 36:16 Some of you who would not, who would make sure 36:20 that your hands and your feet were still 36:25 on gospel music. If someone began to sing 36:30 the Hallelujah chorus you would be like back, 36:35 your foot be patting, your hand be moving, 36:38 you can get off on hallelujah chorus. 36:44 Some folks sit in church am I getting too close? 36:50 Some folks sit in church and if somebody 36:53 in the back says amen, suddenly your head 36:56 become a bubble, you can spin all the way. 37:01 And you wonder what are they doing 37:03 and yet you can sit in your living rooms 37:06 or your family room before this huge box 37:10 thing and someone that make a home run 37:13 or someone make a touchdown and you up 37:16 say yeah, yeah, yeah go, go, go. 37:20 But I wanna suggest to you tonight that 37:23 if we can praise the player on the home run, 37:26 we ought to able to praise God because 37:28 he woke us up this morning. You don't have 37:34 to praise him the way I praise him, 37:37 but you got to praise him. Amen. 37:40 I was coming down the road today 37:43 and I heard him, you know when your drive 37:48 the long ways you got to get your music together, 37:52 and so I had my music together. 37:56 My wife likes the Brooklyn Tabernacle choir. 38:00 Have you heard Brooklyn Tabernacle choir yeah. 38:03 Well she likes him to the point where in her car 38:06 that's all she plays, that's all she plays 38:09 and when I say don't play, she says 38:10 it's my car. I will play what I want to play, 38:14 you play in your car, well I was away, 38:17 her car was in the shop she was driving my car, 38:20 so I'm coming down the road, I reached back 38:22 you know I got my little case there 38:24 and I feeling I got and put my hand on 38:27 a CD and just put it in the V, and it starts 38:31 playing and it's the Brooklyn Tabernacle 38:34 choir. But then they start singing this song 38:37 this is your house, a holy house of prayer. 38:42 And I said I have never heard this song 38:44 before and as they sing it, the song begins 38:46 to move me and I'm going down the road 38:48 saying yes Jesus, thank you Lord. Folks must 38:52 have thought I was crazy, but I was praising 38:54 him because I understand when we come into 38:57 the house of the Lord it is his house. 39:00 It is a holy house of prayer. 39:02 It's where we meet him and I'm always glad 39:06 to meet him. Amen. We praise him more, 39:11 when we understand Kairos, we forgive more. 39:22 Your Union Secretary Samuel Green, 39:29 his wife and my wife and other couples, 39:33 we just had a vacation together just got home 39:37 Monday night. We took a crew to Alaska. 39:42 We had a great time, but you know our wives 39:47 made us promise that we would not talk 39:50 sharp, but preachers can't help but preach. 39:56 You know, so he said to say Drake. 40:01 He says I heard something I think 40:02 you like. I said alright. He said it's about 40:06 forgiveness. I said alright, what is it? 40:10 He said forgiveness is letting go of the hope 40:16 that tomorrow will take care of what happened 40:20 in the past. Isn't that profound, 40:28 how many folks are still sitting up someone 40:33 who did wrong in 1944 and you're saying 40:37 the Lord go and get him. I know the Lord 40:43 is going to take care of it, but true forgiveness 40:47 is giving up the hope that something is going 40:51 to repair what happened in the past. 40:53 Jesus says when I forgive you, 40:56 I do a miracle in my own mind. 40:59 I wipe the sin away so that I don't even 41:03 remember that you have sin. 41:05 When we understand Kairos and understand 41:10 that we are living on God's time, 41:13 we don't have time to worry about what 41:18 someone did in 1944. I would hate to go to hell, 41:29 because I'm harboring something you did to me 41:33 in 1944 when I wasn't born. 41:37 I truly wasn't born. Wouldn't it be terrible 41:44 if you did something to me in 44. You went to 41:51 God ask forgiveness, God forgave you. 41:55 I held it against you and you go to heaven, 41:58 I don't. Wouldn't that be the ultimate hell, 42:04 wouldn't it. And yet there are some of us 42:08 are still harboring demons of the past 42:11 and it come out in nominating community time. 42:21 I'm going to leave it right there. 42:26 When I understand Kairos my vision becomes 42:32 binocular. I see earth, but I view heaven. 42:39 I see Kronos, but I comprehend Kairos. 42:45 I understand that earth is not my home. 42:50 The trials won't last forever, that 42:54 disappointments will vanish, the power plays 42:57 will be over I'm not worried about 43:00 what's happening in Washington DC. 43:03 I only think that this earth is a temporary 43:07 place and the only thing that's going to escape 43:10 it is a child whose mind is made up 43:13 and stayed on Jesus Christ. Amen. 43:19 I, one of my hobbies is eagle. I love eagle 43:25 and I collect eagle figurines and anytime 43:28 I get a chance to see eagle I go and, 43:30 as was one of my great thrills in Alaska 43:32 was to see an eagle. I got real close to one 43:34 this time. But eagle have eyes that are binocular 43:43 and eagle each eye operates independently. 43:50 So that an eagle can be soaring in the sky 43:54 and can look down and see something on the 43:57 ground. At the same time that eagle can see 44:02 another eagle that sees the same thing he sees. 44:07 That eagle can watch what's swimming 44:11 or moving on the ground. Watch the eagle 44:15 that's flying, adjust his speed and rate 44:19 of decline to make sure that he gets there 44:23 before he gets there. He can watch what's moving 44:28 and watch what's attacking at the same 44:31 time. When I understand Kairos I understand 44:37 that they gonna be some people in this world 44:39 that's gonna go out of their minds. 44:42 But I'm not gonna mess with them going out 44:45 of their minds. I'm looking for Jesus 44:49 to come. Amen. I'm not going to get up hung up 44:52 and caught up. You know one of the things 44:57 that's good about getting older not old, 45:01 but older is that experience teaches you 45:06 there are some arguments not worth arguing. 45:12 And now when people come to me and say 45:15 preacher prove to me the Seventh-day 45:18 is the Sabbath. Do you know what I do? 45:21 I say prove to me it's not. Amen. 45:25 I don't go to my Bible, I don't start in Exodus, 45:28 I don't start in creation. I say you prove 45:31 to me that it's not and you prove to me that 45:33 it's not I will go worship where you. 45:35 I don't have time to argue. Amen. 45:38 I'm on my way to the kingdom and I don't have 45:41 time to be your pharisaical. Well they ask 45:48 for sign. Jesus said I will give you no sign 45:55 except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 46:00 Ellen White says that represents the death, 46:03 burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. 46:08 It is a sign of a sinner transformed. 46:16 Then the Bible says that after he said to them. 46:22 I'll give you no sign except this sign. 46:25 The Bible says he left them and departed. 46:30 One writer says that he let them understand 46:36 you have made the choice, you Pharisees 46:43 on the left, you Sadducees on the right. 46:49 You who say that to get to heaven you got 46:54 to give up sitting in middle chair. 46:57 You who say you can get to heaven any kind 47:01 of way you want to, Jesus says I will show 47:06 you a better way. I will show you a relationship 47:12 way. I say to you both of you are blind 47:18 and it's about time that you open your 47:22 spiritually blind eyes and take a glance at 47:28 Jesus Christ the love of our soul. 47:33 You make the choice. He says I can help you, 47:40 if you just ask me. I can help you. 47:44 There are some of you here tonight that 47:46 Jesus says you make the choice. 47:52 Now you have heard your President say 47:53 I'm a third generation Seventh-day Adventist. 47:57 I have seen some things that people call 48:00 salvation. I remember when folks said we only 48:06 want to eat raw peanut butter. 48:12 I remember when ladies could not come in the 48:16 church without a hat on. Hello. I remember when 48:23 ladies could not sit on the pulpit, in my home 48:26 church they built a lower pulpit for ladies 48:29 to sit on, 'cause ladies couldn't sit on the big 48:31 pulpit. I remember as a Pastor I was in a 48:38 business meeting one evening and I had a 48:40 bunch of papers in my hand and it was too 48:44 many and I turned around and I put them on 48:47 the communion table and I never sure shall forget 48:49 the lady, who was sitting in the back that 48:51 shock fledged on her face and she jumped up 48:54 and ran down the isle and gathered up all my 48:57 papers and said Pastor, you can't put anything 49:01 on that it's sacred. Oh! You're laughing but 49:08 there are some of you who have sacred things 49:12 and you think if you do enough of it, 49:16 you'll get into the kingdom. Sabbath 49:19 keeping won't put you in the kingdom. 49:25 Sabbath keeping won't put you in the kingdom. 49:33 Coming to camp meeting, won't put you in 49:37 the kingdom. If you come every night 49:40 and listen to all of the sermons. If you come 49:44 everyday, if you make every meeting, 49:46 every seminar and go home the way you came, 49:53 you're a Pharisee or a Sadducee. 49:58 Jesus says I have got a new way and these are 50:03 word you're say every night that new way 50:07 is surrendering for Pharisaism and your 50:12 Sadducism. Surrendering them and finding Jesus 50:20 and saying to Jesus I surrender all. 50:28 Last night we were having worship with our 50:32 grandchildren. And I have a one of my 50:36 grandchildren seven-years-old and 50:41 he wants to be baptized. As I said I want 50:47 to be baptized and so I explained to him that 50:52 when you are baptized. Before you are baptized 50:56 you got to give your heart to Jesus. 51:01 And his sister who is five-year-old looked at 51:04 me with big eyes and said you mean you're going 51:07 to cut my heart out. What will I do without 51:12 a heart and it dawned on me, that that's what 51:18 it is. Its surgery, Jesus comes and he takes 51:24 the hardness out. Jesus comes and he takes 51:29 the coldness out. Jesus comes and he takes our 51:34 resistance out. He takes our preconceive ideas 51:38 out. And he says here is a new way, love me 51:44 and your eyes will be open, and you can live 51:49 happy in Jesus. You can live with no money 51:53 in the bank and happy. You can live with praise 51:57 of his spouse and happy. You can live with 52:01 children going over foot hills and happy. 52:04 You can walk away from your boss when 52:06 he says you're fired and happy because 52:08 you understand that Jesus has a new way of doing 52:13 things and everything he allows to happen to me 52:16 is for my own good. Amen. And so what 52:25 do I do. I surrender, I give him my all. 52:35 I say Jesus you take me and you tell me what 52:42 you want me to do and if I surrender he will 52:46 come he says if you will I will. He won't come 52:51 beat you over the head. He won't knock you down 52:54 and drag you into the kingdom. He simply stands 52:58 with his hand open and says come. 53:03 Do you see him tonight, come my brother, 53:08 come my sister. You who has been Adventist 53:13 for 100 years come, come and I will give you 53:19 a joy and that you never had 53:23 before. I'm not afraid of dying, not afraid 53:30 of dying. If tomorrow evening your President 53:33 stands and says Drake died in his room last night 53:38 don't be sorry, because everyday, every moment 53:42 of the day I surrender over and over and over, 53:45 am I perfect? No. He knows I'm not perfect but 53:48 his blood will shed for me. I know I have the 53:53 assurance of knowing that if I die I have 53:57 surrendered, so that when my eyes are awaken 54:00 again I expect to see him coming in the clouds 54:06 of blooming. Oh! What peace, oh what hope 54:14 to see Jesus coming. All it takes is just 54:22 surrender. Let's pray. Our Father, we come to you 54:33 tonight as sinful men and women. 54:40 Always struggling, we're trying our best 54:46 and sometimes we get little a confused 54:49 as the how we need it, what we need to do to 54:52 make into the kingdom. Sometimes we act like 54:57 Pharisees and sometimes we act like Sadducees. 55:02 It is so easy to have a check off list I don't 55:05 do this, I don't do that, I don't give that. 55:08 Tonight you've told us that our eyes need to be 55:12 open and we need to see you and not the stuff 55:18 that we think is gonna prepare us for 55:20 your kingdom. You are our hope, you are our 55:27 future, you are the genesis, is the genesis 55:32 of our hope and our joy. Tonight help us to 55:39 surrender again. Help us to yell to you again. 55:48 We open our hearts and say do surgery on us 55:51 oh God. Take out the storminess, take out the 55:55 prejudiceness against truth, help us to see you 56:01 and to obey you. Now we will pray that as 56:05 we leave this place. We go out to different places 56:08 of a boat, give us a good night's rest. Help us to 56:13 rest in the assurance that you're gonna come soon. 56:18 If it is your will, touch us in the morning. 56:22 Give us a new day and new blessings and we will 56:26 praise your name for we ask it in that precious, 56:31 holy name of Jesus and the church say it, amen. |
Revised 2014-12-17