Participants: Pr. Lyle Albrecht
Series Code: RIN
Program Code: RIN000008
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01:00 Welcome to each of you.
01:02 We're going to travel together now and 01:04 I need to give you a little bit of forewarning. 01:07 This journey that we're going to take is not pleasant. 01:12 This will be the first, last, and only time that we'll have 01:15 such a travel log. 01:17 But it's directly related to the subject matter 01:20 we need to share a few moments later. 01:23 So if you will please, relax and fasten your seatbelts 01:26 and we shall go to Dachau. 01:29 We leave from the city of Munich Germany and take the side rail 01:32 only just 11 miles. 01:34 And we arrive at the village of Dachau. 01:37 It was one of the extermination camps of the Third Reich. 01:40 It was one of the torture chambers, 01:43 one of the gas chambers. 01:45 And continues to be a very tragic reminder. 01:51 We got off the train and went across from the depot to 01:55 buy some fruit for breakfast. 01:58 And we asked the lady at the fruit stand, "How, from here, 02:02 may we find the prison camp of Dachau?" 02:05 And she said, "Nicht verstehen. I don't understand no English. " 02:08 But she'd understood perfectly when we asked her, 02:10 "How much are the bananas?" 02:13 But at any event, we explained, "We're not here to try to 02:17 be judgmental or to be unkind. 02:20 But we're here only in the hope that this kind of thing will 02:24 never happen again. " 02:26 And I told her my name. 02:28 And she said, "Well, you're surely not Italian. " 02:31 "Alright," she said, "welcome you German. " 02:33 And she said, "Take bus number 7 to the last stop. " 02:36 And that we did. 02:37 And in just a few moments, we were at the 02:39 prison camp of Dachau. 02:41 As soon as we got off the bus, we could see that it was 02:44 a place of maximum security. 02:46 There was an outer wall of concrete. 02:48 There was an inner wall of concertina wire. 02:51 And inside of that still, there was a mote 02:54 filled with razor wire. 02:56 And every 100 yards, there was a machine gun tower 03:00 with a guard waiting for someone to come near the wall 03:03 so he could use that as an excuse to gun them down. 03:06 There's a sign board from which we're 03:07 going to get our directions. 03:09 And then we're going to move out into the camp proper. 03:12 I want to begin now by telling you that you're going to be 03:15 seeing three different kinds of pictures. 03:17 You're going to see colored pictures like these that 03:19 we shot with our cameras of the camp as it is today. 03:23 And then you're going to be seeing some 03:25 black and white pictures. 03:27 Those are pictures of pictures that hang in the museum wall. 03:31 Pictures that were taken during the time the camp was used 03:34 as an extermination camp. 03:37 And then the third type of picture will be colored, 03:42 but you'll immediately see the coloration is different. 03:45 Those colors were furnished me by our war department 03:48 when I returned from this journey and wrote them 03:51 and asked them if they would share with me some pictures. 03:54 And that they did. 03:56 This whole camp was built by forced labor. 04:00 The majority were Jewish, of course. 04:03 But there were quite a few Christians who suffered 04:07 for their faith during this time. 04:08 Corrie Ten Boom, you may remember, and her sister and 04:11 several other Christians were incarcerated. 04:15 And many of her family members died in one of these camps. 04:18 But at any event, the prisoners were required to dig up the soil 04:23 and move it here and there in wheel barrels 04:25 and in bushel baskets. 04:26 And then they were put to work rolling down the soil 04:31 and compacting it. 04:32 They were harnessed to great iron rollers 04:34 that were filled with water. 04:36 And they worked like draft animals. 04:38 And when the earth was smooth and solidified, 04:41 then they were put to work digging the trenches. 04:43 And by hand, mixing concrete for the footings and foundations. 04:47 And then building the buildings. 04:49 Those concrete foundations are all that remain 04:53 of the old barracks at the time that this was in use. 04:56 In the foreground, you'll see there a building. 05:00 That is, today, the museum. 05:02 And that's where we shot a lot of pictures. 05:04 That was the command center at the time this place was in use. 05:08 Now this obviously, is one of the pictures furnished 05:10 by the war department. 05:11 This is life as it was when it was used 05:14 as an extermination camp. 05:15 And you see lots of Jews here, prisoners, in the foreground. 05:20 They've not been here too terribly long. 05:21 We know that because they're wearing their street clothing 05:25 and they still have some flesh on their bones. 05:27 And then in the background, you see the barracks. 05:31 There are some windows, but very few of the windows 05:33 have glass in them. 05:34 And they lived in conditions we wouldn't keep animals in; 05:39 spring, summer, winter, fall, and always. 05:42 Every morning, there was roll call. 05:45 Not to see if any had escaped, but rather to see who 05:48 had survived the night. 05:49 And after you had been here a few months, that really 05:51 was the miracle. 05:53 And all across Europe, the propaganda machinery of 05:55 the Third Reich was stirring up hatred against people of color. 05:59 "If you know of someone with dark skin and dark eyes 06:02 and dark hair, please tell us where they are, who they are 06:05 so we may relocate them. " 06:07 And a similar thing was happening down in Italy 06:10 under Mussolini. 06:11 Now this black and white picture is a picture of 06:15 an original that was made in 1820. 06:18 It's a picture of burning books. 06:20 In the very center of that picture, you find a bonfire. 06:24 And they're burning Jewish books. 06:26 And in 1820, poet Heinrich Heine was more prophet than poet 06:31 when he said of this, "This was but a prelude 06:34 where books are burnt, humans will be burnt in the end. " 06:38 And 120 plus years later, that's exactly what was happening. 06:43 Across Europe, the officers of the Third Reich 06:49 of the German Army were gathering up men, 06:53 younger men, the more able bodied, 06:56 those who were able to work, and telling them, 06:58 "We're going to relocate you, we're going to take you 07:00 to a place where there are better jobs and 07:02 better living conditions. 07:03 And soon we'll send the wife and the kids. " 07:06 And with that promise in mind, they were marched off 07:09 to the railheads. 07:10 And there at gun point, they were forced into cattle cars, 07:14 standing up, no provision made for their physical needs, 07:19 no restroom facility. 07:21 They were packed in, standing up, and then when not room 07:26 for one more was available, they shut the door 07:28 and it was locked. 07:29 And they traveled that way from 4 to 10 days. 07:33 When one who had to relieve himself or herself, 07:36 they were passed head over head to a corner. 07:42 And that was the best that they were able to do. 07:45 After the young men were gone, then the old and the infirmed 07:49 and the women and children, at gun point, were rounded up. 07:52 And it was a part of the plan of Hitler to divide and conquer. 07:55 To send dad to Auschwitz and mom to Birkenvau, 07:58 and maybe the kids to Dachau. 08:02 You can imagine those horrors. 08:04 Here's a man in the camp who sat down for lunch. 08:07 He's put down his pick and he has in his hand, a bowl. 08:11 And in that bowl, there's a little warm water in which some 08:13 rice has been boiled. 08:14 If he's very lucky, there may still be 08:16 a kernel of rice or two. 08:19 This man has been here for a while as you, 08:22 obviously, are able to see. 08:24 So also, his friends in the background. 08:32 All kinds of experimentation was done. 08:36 If you wanted to know how long a German Air Force pilot, 08:40 or luftwaffenpilot, could survive if he was shot down 08:44 over the waters of the North Sea, you just take a Jew 08:48 and put him in the uniform of the pilot, 08:50 put him in a tank of ice water, and see how long he survives. 08:55 And watch what he goes through before he dies. 08:59 If you want to know how nerve gas works, 09:01 you just take a Jew and put him in the tank and open the gas. 09:04 And again, watch the various stages of horror 09:08 until finally, the release of death comes. 09:12 If you want to know how the human brain works... 09:17 Unbelievable. 09:21 This is the interrogation room. 09:23 If it was felt that some prisoner was withholding 09:26 information about a brother or an uncle or someone else, 09:29 he was brought here and interrogated. 09:32 And if he was not forthcoming, then that bid mallet 09:35 was used on his hands, knuckles, and his knees and elbows. 09:39 And if still he wouldn't tell, then he was hanged to death 09:44 with his arms tied behind him and his body suspended 09:47 from those tied arms. 09:50 Here we see out in the woods, some men who were hanged 09:52 to death in exactly that way. 09:54 A medical doctor down in Georgia described to me that when 09:57 one is hung in that way, he dies of drowning. 10:01 For you cannot exhale deeply enough to get the 10:03 fluid from your lungs. 10:05 And you drown in your own body fluids. 10:09 When a train load of prisoners would come in, 10:11 their decent street clothing was taken from them 10:14 to give to the German people. 10:15 And the filthy old rags from those who'd already been 10:18 through the system were given to them. 10:21 This then, was the shower room. 10:23 After they were here for months, or weeks perhaps only, 10:27 They were told, "We're going to give you a nice shower. 10:30 We're going to give you then a clean change of clothing. 10:35 They were stripped naked, men, women, and children, 10:37 and all marched together inside and told, 10:40 "Stand right beneath the shower heads. " 10:44 And when the place was packed, then the door was closed 10:48 and bolted shut and sealed. 10:50 The valves opened and poison gas came. 10:54 And they died en masse. 10:57 Next door was the power house for the prison camp. 11:02 It is also known as the crematorium today. 11:06 For inside were gas fired furnaces. 11:11 And they accommodated those furnaces 11:17 with steel stretchers that could be slide back. 11:20 And two or three emaciated bodies strapped to them 11:23 and then shoved back into the flame. 11:25 And in just a few moments, there were few charred 11:30 remains left only. 11:35 The allies were getting nearer and nearer and nearer by 1945. 11:39 And it was quite obvious that they were not going to be able 11:43 to hide all of the evidence by burning the bodies 11:47 in the furnaces. 11:48 And so they began, with great earth movers and bulldozers, 11:52 to dig mass graves. 11:54 Perhaps you've seen the news reels of those starved, 11:58 emaciated bodies thrown over, like so much cordwood, 12:02 into the graves and then buried under. 12:06 I have talked to service men, two at least, 12:11 who helped to liberate this camp. 12:12 They, by the way, were paratroopers. 12:14 And they dropped in. 12:16 And these are among the things they found. 12:19 And they both told me that they were unable to 12:23 eat for weeks and weeks. 12:25 And unable, still, to sleep without disturbed sleep, 12:31 without nightmares and flashbacks, as you can imagine. 12:39 You know, ladies and gentlemen, 12:40 if this kind of thing had happened 12:44 in some remote corner of the world, 12:46 if this atrocity had happened in some dark jungle 12:52 or some remote mountaintop of ignorance, 12:57 we could have, perhaps, better understood it. 13:00 But it did not happen in the midst of paganism 13:04 or in some Godless Christless society. 13:07 Rather, this happened in Luther land. 13:11 This happened at the birthplace of the reformation. 13:16 Still today, ladies and gentlemen, 13:18 people are dying for their faith. 13:22 It was said that in the last 5 years, more Christians 13:26 have died for their faith than died during the first 100 years 13:31 of Christianity under the persecutions of Nero, 13:35 Hadrian, and Diocletian. 13:37 So this kind of thing is still going on. 13:41 How long? 13:42 Every human heartache casts a shadow upon the heart of God. 13:46 If God is all powerful, as we believe He is, 13:50 why does He do this? 13:51 And if He doesn't do it, why then, does He step back 13:54 and allow it? 13:56 If he is omniscient, that means "all knowing," 13:58 why didn't He make a plan to prevent all of it? 14:02 God is to blame. 14:04 Tonight, during the lecture, I stand as God's attorney. 14:10 I stand tonight, in defense of the character of God. 14:14 I want to thank you for traveling with me. 14:18 Just this morning, I was asked this question. 14:21 "Lyle, do you believe that God is punishing America 14:25 for her sins, for her disregard of God's law, 14:29 for her immorality, adultery, incest, and all of the rest? 14:35 Do you believe that the collapse of the towers on 9/11 14:39 were the result of God's punishing the children of earth? 14:44 Do you believe that the tsunami's out in the far east 14:47 were part of God's retribution upon a sinful mankind? 14:51 And what about Katrina, and what about this morning's news 14:54 of the terrible tornadoes that have gone through Atlanta?" 14:57 It seems hardly a day goes by except there is some horror, 15:01 either man made; murder, mayhem, rape, riot, 15:05 or some natural disaster, that the insurance companies 15:10 often like to refer to as the "act of God. " 15:13 It seems somehow God, continuously, is blamed 15:16 for that which He did not do, and really had little, 15:19 if anything at all, to do with. 15:20 I want you now, to open your Bibles to our first scripture. 15:23 It's Revelation chapter 12, beginning at verse 7. 15:27 Revelation chapter 12, beginning with verse 7. 15:30 And I hope that you "A" students have something to write upon 15:32 because we're going to be covering a lot of scriptures 15:34 without time to read every single verse. 15:37 Revelation 12:7, and following. 15:39 "There was war in heaven and Michael and his angels fought 15:42 against the dragon; and the dragon fought with his angels. 15:45 And the dragon prevailed not, neither was his place found 15:48 any more in heaven. 15:49 And the great dragon was kicked out, the old serpent called 15:52 the Devil and Satan, which deceives the whole world. 15:54 He was cast out into this earth and so also were his angels 15:59 kicked out with him. " 16:02 My subject for this evening, "God and Human Suffering. " 16:08 Within hours after our son Terry died, Peggy and I were asked, 16:15 "Do you blame God? 16:17 Do you feel that God is responsible? 16:19 Are you angry somehow with God?" 16:22 And I know that folks who deal with grief counseling, 16:26 and all of this kind of thing, are well intended. 16:28 And I don't throw stones at psychologists or psychiatrists. 16:34 But I do sometimes feel like the Australian, you know, 16:39 who asked, "What is a psychiatrist?" 16:41 They said, "Well that's someone that you pay to talk to. " 16:43 And he said, "What's the matter, ain't you got no mates?" 16:49 Did I blame God when my boy died? 16:51 No, no. 16:53 Did I see God allowing evil? 16:56 Not really. No. 16:58 Did I see terror? 17:00 No. 17:01 I'll tell you what was manifested to both Peggy and me. 17:04 I saw in my neighbors, and in my friends, and in my relatives, 17:10 the love of God. 17:11 That's what most impressed me. 17:14 Not evil, but so very, very much good. 17:18 And I've been asked, "How can God be so bad?" 17:21 And my question is, "How can God, to we who turn our backs 17:25 on Him so often, be so very, very good?" 17:29 I want to read something to you because it was very helpful 17:32 to me when we had our loss, and continues to be. 17:35 You listen now. 17:36 This is a quotation from an article entitled, 17:39 "America: Superpower Prophecy. " 17:41 Listen now. 17:42 "The cross of Calvary, while it declares the law 17:45 to be immutable, proclaims to the universe that the 17:48 wages of sin is death. 17:51 In the Savior's expiring cry, 'It is finished,' 17:55 the death knell of Satan was rung. 17:57 The great controversy which has so long been in progress 18:00 was then decided, and the final eradication of evil 18:04 was made certain. 18:05 The Son of God passed through the portals of the tomb, 18:09 that 'through death He might destroy him that has the power 18:15 now over death; and that is the devil. '" 18:18 And that last quotation, of course, is from Hebrews 2:14. 18:23 It is the devil who now has the power over death, 18:26 and those kinds of things. 18:28 And so we don't blame God when we see tragedy 18:32 and when we know heartache. 18:33 A lady ministered to me, really unknowingly, when 18:37 our boy died. 18:38 I've mentioned it before but might again momentarily, 18:41 that when this happened, Peggy and I had just opened meetings 18:46 over just south of Olympia, Washington ten miles. 18:54 I missed two nights of meetings because of the death of our son. 18:58 But I hurried back. 19:01 And on my first night back, a lady gave to me a CD 19:06 of the hymns of Elvis Presley. 19:09 Many or most of them, I think I had heard before. 19:12 But there was one, that while I'd heard it from others prior, 19:16 I'd never heard it from Elvis. 19:19 I knew that it had been written and sung and 19:21 recorded by Larry Gatlin. 19:22 But I didn't know Elvis had immortalized it. 19:25 It's entitled, "Help Me. " 19:27 And I want to read to you just a few of the words. 19:33 "Lord, help me walk another mile, just one more mile. 19:43 I'm tired of walking all alone. 19:47 Lord, help me smile another smile, just one more smile. 19:50 You know, I just can't make it on my own. 19:55 I never thought I needed help before. 19:57 I thought that I could get by, by myself. 19:59 But now I know, I just can't take it anymore. 20:03 With a humble heart on bended knee, 20:06 I'm begging you, Lord help me. 20:11 Come down from your throne to me Lord, just to me. 20:15 I need to feel the touch of your scarred hands. 20:18 Remove the chains of darkness and let me see, Lord. 20:21 Let me see just where I fit into your master plan. 20:26 I never thought I needed help before. 20:29 I thought that I could get by, by myself. 20:32 But now I know, I just can't take it anymore. 20:35 So with a humble heart on bended knees, 20:40 I'm begging you please, help me. " 20:48 I thought about our suffering, and then I compared it 20:51 with that of others. 20:53 And I want to share with you now 20:57 a story of a few days in a preachers life. 21:01 You think as to whether or not it related to us 21:05 or to your own problems. 21:06 Listen now. 21:09 Over along our coast, a pastor was called quickly 21:12 to the hospital because there was a woman there who's 21:15 husband had suffered a terrible heart attack. 21:20 He went there to pray with her and went to visit the husband. 21:23 And it seemed that he was getting better when they found 21:26 in his neck, a cancerous tumor. 21:30 His wife stayed by his bedside day after day after day. 21:33 But after more than a week, she collapsed with a 21:36 perforated and bleeding ulcer. 21:39 And then she got pneumonia. 21:40 And while she was suffering from pneumonia in this same hospital, 21:44 her husband died. 21:45 In another hospital nearby, was her daughter suffering 21:49 with a kidney infection. 21:51 And this lady, as you might well guess, asked, 21:54 "Why is God punishing us? 21:57 What have we done?" 21:59 And I shall never forget when I first heard this question 22:03 asked by parents of a little baby girl, I was only just 22:07 weeks into my ministry over in Central Idaho. 22:11 We went on a campout, did our church. 22:13 We camped on the banks of the Snake River. 22:15 Still in the timber on the Idaho side. 22:17 And there came to our campout, a young couple by the name of 22:21 Jack and Penny Delano. 22:23 They had with them a beautiful little 5 year old daughter. 22:27 Blonde hair, blue eyes. 22:29 And I learned during those few hours that we spent together 22:33 that they had just moved up from the Bay Area of California. 22:37 An uncle had helped them to move, had driven their 22:40 furniture up in a rental truck. 22:42 Helped them unload it and settle in their new home 22:44 in Cambridge, Idaho. 22:45 And when he backed the truck away to return it to California, 22:49 he backed over their 2 year old blonde headed baby girl. 22:54 Jack and Penny were asking that age old question, 22:57 "Why, why. If there is a God, why do the innocent suffer? 23:02 Why my baby? Why?" 23:04 Why? 23:06 Sometimes, there comes a larger question. 23:10 "God, what are You doing?" 23:12 And sometimes, we hear from scripture those verses. 23:16 Deuteronomy 6, here's one. 23:18 Deuteronomy 6:24, it raises a question. 23:21 God says, "What I do is always for your good. " 23:25 That's what Moses said, "What God does is 23:27 always for my good. " 23:28 Oh really now? 23:30 Sometimes we wonder. 23:31 Romans 8:28, this one is more familiar to us, of course. 23:35 "All things work together for good to those who love God 23:39 are called according to His calling. " 23:43 So there, then, comes the question, "Who is responsible?" 23:47 And we found the answer in our first scripture, didn't we. 23:50 There was war in heaven. 23:52 When I first heard this, it was hard for me to imagine. 23:55 War, maybe on some other planet, maybe out on Pluto. 23:58 But surely not in heaven. 23:59 Nah, there was. 24:01 There was an angel, honored above all of the others, 24:04 given position higher above all the others, 24:07 more handsome than all of the others, 24:08 and had a wonderful voice. 24:10 Says the old prophet. 24:11 But he was not satisfied with what he had. 24:15 He wanted more. 24:16 He wanted to create, he wanted to be like God. 24:18 He wanted, says the Bible, to sit on the throne. 24:21 "I also will sit. " 24:22 Created beings cannot create. 24:25 So God called him in and said to him, 24:27 "Lucifer, you're not My equal nor are you Christ's equal. " 24:31 The Bible says about Christ that when He finished His work here, 24:34 He went back to heaven and He was sat down. 24:36 He was among equals. 24:38 He sits on a throne. 24:39 He is the creator of this planet. 24:41 The Bible is abundantly clear about that. 24:42 But this angel, Lucifer, wanted to create. 24:45 "It is my turn. I have the ambition. 24:46 I have the ability. Let me. " 24:48 And God called him in and talked to him and said, 24:50 "No. Put it out of your mind. Deny yourself this idea. 24:54 You cannot create. I've not denied you anything. 24:56 You're nearest to the throne, you're one of the 24:58 covering cherubs, and you have this wonderful voice, 25:00 and you are handsome beyond description. 25:02 But you cannot create, you cannot sit on the throne. 25:06 You are not my equal, you're not equal to Jesus. " 25:08 And instead of doing what God had asked, humbling himself, 25:12 the devil threw a tantrum and began a whispering campaign 25:15 amongst his buddies. 25:16 And as we mentioned this morning, 25:18 he is the great divider. 25:19 And one third of the angels joined him in his rebellion. 25:22 And it turned into open war in the streets of gold. 25:25 Imagine that. 25:28 Jesus and God the Father, of course, always are victorious. 25:31 And so the devil was kicked out. 25:34 And he transferred the struggle, the controversy, 25:38 to planet earth. 25:40 For, you see, the controversy had originally started 25:42 over the creation of planet earth. 25:45 Our Lord Jesus was about to hang this one, this beautiful orb 25:49 in that vacant space there. 25:51 And the devil says, "It's my turn, I want to do it. " 25:53 And God said, "No. " 25:54 And so he said, "Alright, I'll show You then. 25:57 I'll fix Your newly created planet that You 25:59 wouldn't let me make. " 26:00 And he came here to planet earth and the war transferred. 26:05 The angel that was perfect in every way 26:09 was transformed, transferred into a devil. 26:13 The apostle Paul, you may or may not remember, said, 26:16 "I saw Satan fall from heaven as an angel of light. " 26:22 An angel of light. 26:24 Well there comes then, that question still. 26:27 "Is God now punishing us for our sins?" 26:30 And it comes again and again and again. 26:32 And by the way, when the Twin Towers fell 26:35 and when the terrible storms, Katrina and Edna and the others, 26:39 hit the southern coast, there were televangelists, 26:42 who's names we'll not use tonight, who were saying, 26:44 "Were paying now, this is the retribution of God. 26:47 God is coming down on us because we've turned our back, 26:50 we've taken the Bible and the ten commandments out of 26:52 schools and out of courtrooms. 26:53 And now God is giving it to us, He's giving us 26:57 what we deserve. " 26:58 And there is in the news today even, if you have been watching 27:03 the last 2 or 3 days, another man in a church in Chicago 27:08 who is becoming very infamous right now for preaching 27:11 the very same kind of an idea. 27:13 And He's really blaming God. 27:15 You know the phrase, don't ya, that's been used 27:19 in the last 2 or 3 days. 27:20 "Is God doing this, is God causing human suffering?" 27:23 No, no, no. 27:25 And even the devils and those who are behind the 27:28 human suffering and tragedy know it very well. 27:30 And so I'm going to refer us to some verses. 27:33 I want us to read them together, Matthew 8. 27:36 Matthew chapter 8, and I want us to read verses 28 and 29. 27:42 Matthew 8:28-29 27:47 And this I find most comforting, most encouraging. 27:49 And by the way, I've preached a sermon like this 27:52 many, many, many times. 27:54 But I have never quite approached it in this way 27:56 for the simple reason that I never quite understood it 27:59 like this until recently myself. 28:03 And I hope it will be encouraging to some of you. 28:05 Matthew 8, beginning to read at the 28th verse. 28:11 Matthew 8:28-29 28:20 "When Jesus had gone over to the other side of the lake 28:23 and over to the country of the Gadarenes, 28:27 there met Him two men who were demon possessed. 28:31 They came out from amongst the tombs, 28:33 they were exceedingly fierce and wanted that no man 28:37 should pass by that way. 28:38 And when they saw Jesus, they cried out to Him and they said, 28:41 'What have we to do with you, Jesus, You Son of God? 28:45 Are You come here to... '" 28:47 Now tell me what it says next. 28:49 "Are You come here to torment us... " 28:52 Come on. 28:55 "... before the time?" 28:56 You see the theology here? 28:58 "Are You come to bring torment to us now?" 29:01 No, torment is to come at the end of all judgment. 29:05 And even demons, those demon possessed knew it. 29:08 "Are You come to torment us ahead of time, before the time?" 29:10 No, no. 29:13 The time for punishment is not yet. 29:15 I want us now to go together to Job chapter 21. 29:20 Job, and then the Psalms and the Proverbs, chapter 21. 29:24 And we shall read at verse 30. 29:28 Job 21:30 29:31 Here it says, "The wicked are reserved to the 29:37 day of destruction, that they shall be brought forth 29:40 to the day of wrath. " 29:42 When is the punishment? 29:44 At the end, at the time of destruction. 29:47 Now there is a scripture almost exactly like that 29:49 to be found in 2 Peter. 29:51 And so I want you to turn with me there, if you will please. 29:53 Only just for a moment. 29:56 2 Peter carries on the theme in chapter 3 and verse 7. 29:59 2 Peter 3:7 30:02 "But the heavens and the earth which are now, by the same word 30:06 are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment 30:11 and the perdition of ungodly men. " 30:13 And so it is abundantly clear, both Old and New Testaments, 30:16 that this day and age is not the time for punishment. 30:20 But that rather, that is still in the future. 30:23 Now listen to me. 30:25 And follow this logic, or lack thereof, as you choose. 30:28 If God were causing punishment, if God was behind the dropping 30:33 of the Twin Towers, if God brought the tsunami out 30:36 in the far east, if God brought Katrina to destroy the homes 30:40 and the lives of so many hundreds and hundreds of people, 30:45 wouldn't it be only just the wicked who are suffering? 30:48 If God is punishing wickedness, wouldn't it just fall 30:52 upon the wicked? 30:55 But the righteous suffer as well. 30:57 And oft times, it seems to me and a lot of other folks, 31:00 that the righteous suffer more intensely than do the wicked. 31:03 Revelation chapter 19 and verse 2. 31:06 "True and righteous are Thy judgments, oh Lord. " 31:10 And there are a number of other places in the Bible. 31:12 I'm going to give you some references where it is 31:14 abundantly clear that, now, the wicked are the ones 31:17 that are really prospering. 31:18 They're, to a large degree, the ones that are getting wealthy 31:22 because they have no conscience and they're willing to cheat 31:25 and steal and lie, and do whatever it takes to get ahead. 31:28 They'll walk on the back of any honest man 31:30 to get to the top of the heap. 31:31 Psalm 73:3 31:34 Here Psalm 73:3, David said, "I was jealous of the 31:39 prosperity of the wicked. " 31:42 Alright? 31:43 And then in Psalm 73:12, he said, "The ungodly are the ones 31:48 who now prosper. " 31:49 The ungodly prosper. 31:51 And then in Psalm 73:17, he said, "I didn't understand 31:55 why the wicked were prospering and God's children were so 31:59 terribly suffering, until I went and studied the sanctuary. " 32:05 And there's another good reason, my dears, for studying and 32:08 loving the sanctuary service. 32:10 He said, "I began to understand why good people suffer 32:14 and why wicked people prosper when I studied God's sanctuary. 32:20 I understood then the prosperity of the wicked. " 32:23 In the time of Christ, and for a long while before, 32:26 Jewish people believed that if a man were sick, 32:29 that was a result of God's punishment. 32:32 If a man is both sick and diseased, God really 32:35 dislikes that person, really despises him. 32:37 And the more sick he is, the poorer he is, 32:40 the greater his disease, the more God is showing 32:43 His disrespect and really His distaste 32:48 for those kinds of people. 32:53 The disciples, because of their Jewish background, believed 32:56 the very same kind of a thing. 32:59 In John chapter 9 and the first three verses, 33:03 they express that idea. 33:04 And we want to read it together now please. 33:06 John's gospel, chapter 9 and the first three verses. 33:13 Chapter 9 of St. John, verses 1, 2, and 3. 33:24 "As Jesus passed by, He saw a man who'd been blind from birth. 33:28 And the disciples said to Him, 'Master, who sinned? 33:31 Was it this man or was it his parents, the cause of 33:35 his being born blind?' 33:36 And Jesus said, 'Neither this man nor his parents are to 33:40 blame, but rather the works of God be made manifest. '" 33:44 And so, here we see that very same idea very prevalent 33:47 amongst the disciples of Jesus. 33:49 In Luke chapter 13, and we ought to, we have the time, 33:51 let's turn there as well. 33:53 Luke 13, and we're going to notice the first five verses. 33:58 This, by the way, is in the context of the 34:00 belief of the Pharisees. 34:03 And this is the way it reads. 34:04 Luke 13, beginning with verse one. 34:09 "There were present at that season, some of those who 34:14 told Him of Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled 34:19 with their sacrifices. 34:20 And Jesus... " 34:22 And, by the way, it's talking about believers in Jesus. 34:24 Folks who'd been martyred for their faith in God and Christ. 34:28 In verse 2 it says, "Jesus, answering, said unto them, 34:32 'Suppose ye that the Galileans were sinners greater 34:36 than others of Galilee? 34:37 My people, were they greater sinners than other Galileans 34:40 because they suffered so?'" 34:42 And then in verse 3 He says, "I tell you, no. 34:45 That's not right, but except you repent, 34:48 you'll perish likewise. " 34:51 And then He goes on, "Were those eighteen folks upon whom 34:54 the tower of Siloam fell and died, were they greater sinners, 34:59 sinners above all that live in and around Jerusalem?" 35:02 "No," He says. "No. " 35:05 God is not punishing His saints. 35:07 But rather, this is the result of the old enemy 35:10 who brings disease and all of the rest, 35:14 the pain and the suffering and the death. 35:16 Would a righteous God... Now listen carefully. 35:19 Would a righteous and holy God cripple some little boy 35:25 or little girl in order to punish his dad? 35:29 Of course not. 35:32 Of course not. 35:34 We, parents, wouldn't react in such a way. 35:38 And certainly God wouldn't. 35:40 We human judges wouldn't react in that way. 35:43 Job 14:7, it says there, "Shall mortal man 35:47 be more just than God?" 35:49 And the answer, of course is "no. " 35:50 That's a rhetorical question. 35:51 Of course not. 35:53 God wouldn't cause harm to someone just to get revenge 35:57 on his dad or upon someone else who's doing wrong. 36:00 When the Twin Towers fell, they fell on a lot of innocent folks. 36:04 You see? 36:06 God wasn't behind it at all. 36:08 You remember the story of Job. 36:10 Job loved and served God so faithfully. 36:12 And the devil said, "You let me at him. 36:14 The only reason he serves You is that You give him everything. 36:17 He has everything going his way. 36:19 Look at his wealth and look how prosperous are his children 36:22 and how happy are they all. 36:24 He serves You because You give him everything. " 36:25 And God said, "It's not so. " 36:28 And the devil said, "You let me at him. 36:30 I'll prove to You he'll curse You. " 36:32 And God said, "Alright Satan, you may do anything to him. 36:35 You can take the houses and the land and the family and 36:38 all of the rest, but you can't take his life. 36:41 There I draw the line. " 36:42 And so you remember, he lost the ranch 36:45 and the cattle, and he lost his kids. 36:47 And then he had this terrible disease. 36:51 It covered from the top of his head to the soles of his feet. 36:53 Like suppurating wounds, someone said, or terrible boils. 36:57 And in verse 12 of Job chapter 1, 37:00 "The Lord said unto Satan," and this is after the devil has 37:04 tested him and Job has remained faithful. 37:06 "The Lord said unto Satan, 'All that Job has is in your power 37:12 and he is in your hands. '" 37:15 You see? 37:17 The devil is behind it. 37:18 Now, if sickness, disease, heartache was as a result 37:25 of the judgments of God, what right would a Christian have 37:32 to open a hospital? 37:34 What right would a Christian nurse have to go 37:38 and minister to the sick? 37:39 What right would a Christian doctor have to help those 37:43 in the surgery room or to dispense medicine 37:45 for the better health? 37:46 What right would anyone have to meddle in the punishment of God? 37:51 No, God has been grossly misrepresented 37:54 all down through the ages. 37:56 Now, we must be very careful to point out that we may have, 38:01 we have opportunity to have, and too oft times we take advantage 38:05 of the opportunity; the ability, that's the best way 38:11 to say it I guess, the ability to help the devil out. 38:14 And I'm going to read you some scriptures in that regard. 38:17 1 Corinthians chapter 9, verse 25. 38:21 1 Corinthian 9:25 38:22 Here the apostle Paul says, "Every man that strives 38:26 for the mastery is... " 38:28 What? 38:29 Lives a profligate life that goes out and eats and drinks 38:32 and parties all day and all night long? 38:34 No. 38:35 "Every man that strives for the mastery is temperate 38:39 in all things. " 38:42 Are you over working? 38:44 You know, too much of a good thing is a bad thing. 38:47 Am I overeating, am I not exercising enough? 38:49 Am I being intemperate? 38:51 Temperance is the law of life and health. 38:55 And we've had so many, many illustrations of those who 38:59 live the other kind of life and then pay with an early death. 39:02 And we could mention names, not to be in judgment 39:05 of their souls, but I think immediately of John Belushi 39:08 who snorted cocaine and injected all kinds of things 39:11 and ate like there would never be another meal. 39:14 And John Candy was another. 39:15 And Chris Farley still another. 39:17 Galatians chapter 6 and verse 7. 39:20 There, God through the apostle Paul said, 39:22 "Be not deceived, God is not mocked. 39:25 For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. " 39:33 Not always in this life, we're not always going to 39:35 reap the harvest in this life. 39:37 But one day, 39:38 one day. 39:41 Someone, in response to the move amongst politicians 39:46 these days to guarantee and provide total health, 39:50 and health and medical insurance to all Americans, 39:53 cradle to the grave, womb to the tomb, 39:54 infants to the very end of the old man's life, 39:58 said this, and you ask yourself if it makes sense. 40:03 "Why is it that we spend our money when we're young 40:07 to ruin our health, and when we're older we expect others 40:11 with their tax dollars, to spend those hard earned dollars 40:15 in order to help us try and get our health back?" 40:19 Uh-huh. 40:22 Proverbs 6:27-28 40:25 There God asks another rhetorical question. 40:28 "Can a man take fire into his bosom... " 40:32 And as soon as I read that, I was thinking of course 40:34 about tobacco, smoking. 40:37 "Can a man take fire into his bosom and his 40:39 clothes not be burned? 40:40 Can one walk on hot coals and his feet not be burned?" 40:43 And the answer, of course is "no. " 40:46 "Whatever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. " 40:51 We cannot continuously disobey God openly and flagrantly, 40:56 and expect to walk away unscathed. 41:00 John Greenleaf Whittier said it in these words. 41:04 "We shape ourselves, the joy or fear, of which 41:08 the coming life is made. 41:10 We fill our future atmosphere with sunshine or with shade. 41:15 The tissue of the life to be, we weave with colors of our own. 41:21 In the field of destiny, we reap as we have sown. " 41:28 And that's what God said as well. 41:30 Someone said to me not long ago, 41:32 "Well, I'm not sure I agree with you in that regard. 41:35 For I read not very long ago, 'Whom God loves, He chastens. '" 41:41 You've heard it as well, haven't you. 41:42 "Whomever God loves, He chastens. " 41:45 With the idea He beats up on them. 41:47 He gives them a really hard spanking with a leather strap. 41:50 Well, I did some word study in that area. 41:53 And I don't want to come off ever as 41:55 a Biblical languages scholar. 41:57 I am not. 41:58 I do know how to use the tools and do the research. 42:00 And I discovered, that word that in the King James 42:03 is translated "chasten", "Whom the Lord loves, He chastens," 42:07 is better understood to mean, "He instructs and He educates. " 42:13 How about that. 42:15 Whomever the Lord loves, He instructs and He educates. 42:19 God allows human suffering, but He's not the designer of it. 42:25 He's not the originator of it. 42:27 And He certainly does not cause it. 42:30 God has promised to be with us during the heartache 42:34 and during the difficult times. 42:36 And I think I've said to you before, 42:38 I don't understand, I can't understand 42:42 how folks without faith can walk away from the fresh grave 42:49 of their loved one; their child, their spouse. 42:51 I don't know how they survive. 42:53 I don't know. 42:58 I'm so thankful to God for the faith He's given 43:01 to Peggy and me, and for the hope for the future. 43:05 We know we're all going to be together again. 43:08 We clung, Peggy and I, and memorized once again 43:11 those promises of God. 43:13 "I won't allow you to be suffered above what 43:15 you're able to bear. " 43:17 "I won't allow that. " 43:18 "My grace... " 2 Corinthians 12:9 43:21 "My grace is sufficient for you. " 43:23 And I've claimed that promise day after day after day. 43:25 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. " 43:28 Philippians 4 and verse 13. 43:33 And in Philippians 4:19, same passage a few verses down, 43:37 "My God will supply all of your needs. " 43:42 Nahum 1:9, a favorite promise of mine lately. 43:49 "Affliction and suffering shall not arise the second time. " 43:55 That's good news, isn't it. 43:58 That is such wonderful good news 44:01 to those that are suffering 44:03 pain, loss, heartache, disease, separation. 44:11 "I know not where His islands lift their fronded palms in air. 44:15 I only know I cannot drift beyond His love and care. " 44:22 On our second night together, I shared with you in conclusion 44:26 a little story, a true story. 44:29 I'm going to repeat it tonight. 44:33 There was a lady who was senior, nearing death and knew it. 44:39 A very faithful Christian lady. 44:41 And she called her pastor over. 44:43 And she said, "With the legal authorities, 44:47 I have made my will. 44:49 Now I want, with you pastor, to plan my funeral. " 44:53 "I've been to so many," she said, "and it is traditional 44:56 that the one who lies in the casket lies with hands folded 45:01 over the chest. 45:02 Not me, pastor. 45:05 Not me. " 45:06 "Now," she said, "in my left hand, 45:08 I want to be holding my Bible. 45:12 And in my right hand, I want to be holding a kitchen fork. " 45:18 And I'm sure the preachers jaw dropped. 45:20 "What do you mean? 45:21 I can understand you wanting your Bible buried with you. 45:23 What do you mean you want to be holding your fork?" 45:25 And the lady said, "Pastor, one of the things I love 45:29 about the fellowship at church are the dinners. 45:31 One of the things I really look forward to are the dinners. 45:34 And we have such wonderful dinners. 45:37 But I always enjoy it most when they're cleaning up the tables, 45:41 someone leans over to me and says, 'Hang onto your fork. ' 45:49 For I know something better is coming. 45:55 I know the dessert will soon be served. " 46:00 And so again, I say to all of you, 46:04 and to my own heart, 46:06 and to Peggy's and our kids, 46:13 "Hang onto your fork. " 46:17 Now let's pray. 46:20 Forgive us, Lord, if ever we have blamed You 46:26 for the pain and the sorrow, the death and the disease. 46:33 We know that You originally planned for life 46:38 that was full and abundant and healthful. 46:43 We know that our Lord Jesus promised, 46:45 "I am come that you might have the abundant life. " 46:48 And so often, we've turned away from Your lifestyle, 46:51 Your example, from Your diet. 46:55 So often times, we've lived the life of the prodigal. 47:00 So often times, we've taken in that which is 47:03 for our own destruction. 47:04 Forgive us. 47:06 Make us better tomorrow than we are today. 47:09 Strengthen our weaknesses. 47:13 Help us follow better our strengths. 47:16 In the meantime, give us the courage 47:22 as we hang onto our forks. 47:24 In Jesus' name, we praise You and thank You always. 47:27 Amen. 47:31 And I'm going to begin with a question that was 47:34 just handed to me a little bit ago. 47:36 Does the Bible call our Father and Jesus 47:38 and the Holy Spirit all God? 47:40 And the answer to that is "yes. " 47:42 The Bible does refer to the Holy Father, and the Holy Son Jesus, 47:46 and the Holy Spirit all as God. 47:50 Now one night here, I took only just a few minutes 47:53 to try to help one or two understand the God family. 47:59 And I remember saying that the name "God" is the family name. 48:03 And I likened it to our family name "Albrecht. " 48:06 There is Lyle, there is Peggy. 48:10 There is our son Troy and our daughter Tammy. 48:15 And we're different, yet we're very alike in many ways. 48:19 But we share a common family name. 48:22 "God" is the family name in the Bible. 48:26 And it's made up of three members of the family. 48:29 God, whom we now refer to as the Holy Father. 48:32 God, whom we now refer to as the Son, the Holy Son. 48:36 And God, whom we refer to as the Holy Spirit. 48:39 Different distinct people. 48:42 When Jesus was here on earth, John chapter 17, among other 48:45 places, He prayed, "Our Father which art in heaven. " 48:50 You see. 48:52 And the Holy Spirit, in the book of Acts you read, 48:56 He can be lied to. 48:57 You remember Ananias and Sapphira? 48:59 You have lied to the Holy Spirit. 49:03 He's different from the Holy Father, from Jesus, 49:07 but one in purpose and one in Their outreach. 49:15 One in Their desire for salvation for everybody. 49:18 They have different jobs to do. 49:21 When Jesus was here on earth He was a healer, 49:25 He was a teacher, He was an example. 49:28 He discipled, that means He taught. 49:31 And then He apostled, that means He sent out 49:34 His students to share what He had taught. 49:38 Shortly before He ascended, and you find this in 49:41 John chapters 13, 14, 15, He said to His disciples, 49:45 "I won't' leave you helpless, I won't leave you in a jam, 49:49 I won't leave you comfortless. 49:51 But I will send the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. " 49:58 I have had folks who, on occasion, have said to me, 50:03 "I know the Bible says this... " 50:04 It may be about what happens at death, 50:06 it may be about how to eat, 50:09 it may be about the Sabbath and which day to worship upon. 50:13 But I've had several who've said to me during my 37 years 50:17 of ministry, "I know that's what it says in the Bible, 50:19 but... " 50:22 And by the way, everything after the "but" leads us 50:24 into trouble, generally. 50:26 "... but the Holy Spirit hasn't impressed me that 50:31 it's important for me. 50:33 But the Holy Spirit has said to me that doesn't apply. 50:38 But the Holy Spirit has said to me, 50:40 'No, you do it this other way. '" 50:45 Now listen very carefully to this idea. 50:51 Jesus said in John 17:17, 50:54 "Sanctify them through Thy truth; Thy word is truth. " 51:02 Alright? 51:04 Jesus said in John's gospel chapters 14 and 15, 51:09 "When He, the Spirit of truth is come, He will lead you 51:16 into all truth. " 51:19 By the statement of our Lord Jesus, the Bible 51:23 is the word of truth and the Holy Spirit 51:27 is the Spirit of truth. 51:29 Now, the bottom line as we've come 51:33 to the end of the logic here. 51:36 The Bible, the word of truth, and the Holy Spirit, 51:39 the Spirit of truth, will always be in harmony. 51:44 You see. 51:47 The Holy Bible and the Holy Spirit will always 51:50 say the same thing. 51:51 Our Bible came to us from the Holy Spirit. 51:53 Holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. 51:56 Do you remember? 51:58 And so, they'll always be in agreement. 52:00 And if someone says, "Well, I know that the Bible says 52:03 Saturday's the Sabbath, but the Holy Spirit has told me 52:07 to do it otherwise," I sometimes say to those folks, 52:10 if I don't verbalize, I certainly am thinking it, 52:12 "No, the wrong spirit has been talking to you. " 52:16 Not God's Spirit, the wrong spirit has been talking to you. 52:21 Now, in the Bible there are several names that are simply 52:26 translated as "God. " 52:28 There is Elohim, there is Adonai, 52:31 there is Jehovah, and there are others 52:35 all simply translated as "God. " 52:40 Among those names, there is one that is considered 52:43 by the Bible writer and by the children of God 52:48 early on in the Old Testament times to be so holy 52:51 that it ought not to even be verbalized. 52:54 And that is the name Jehovah. 52:59 The name Jehovah is, in it's origin, only just four letters 53:06 without any vowels. 53:07 YHWH 53:13 And theologians and Bible teachers refer to that today 53:17 as the tetragrammaton; four letters, YHWH. 53:24 So that we can say it in word form, we have added the vowels 53:29 E and A, and so forth, O. 53:32 Jehovah 53:35 Now the name "Jehovah" that is translated as "God" 53:39 was used almost exclusively to show the eternal nature of God. 53:46 At the burning bush Moses asked, "Who are You?" 53:50 And the voice came back, "I AM." 53:53 "I AM" 53:55 That means that God has always existed. 54:00 Way back before recorded history, ever before there was 54:06 mankind on planet earth, there was God. 54:11 Today, God is on the throne. 54:15 The God family. 54:17 And as long as there shall be eternity, 54:20 there shall always be God. 54:22 Now I must be honest and say to you that when I was a child 54:27 or a young teenager, that idea of God's being there forever, 54:32 way before, I mean, my mind sort of got lost in it. 54:36 The longer I live, the more sense eternity makes. 54:40 Especially in the future, it's going to take an eternity 54:43 to do all of the fun things that God has planned for us. 54:46 Isn't it now? 54:48 But here is what I'm moving toward now. 54:52 Jehovah, the eternal nature of God. 54:55 There have been those who have built whole churches around 54:59 the idea that Jesus is not eternal, 55:02 that Jesus is created. 55:04 And they will take that passage where it says, John 3:16, 55:09 that He is the only "begotten. " 55:13 Uh-huh. 55:14 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten... " 55:20 And they'll take that and build a theology around it. 55:24 In the original, the word "begotten" did not carry the 55:28 idea of one who was born, or created, for that matter. 55:33 But rather it meant, "one who is unique; 55:37 one like whom there is no other. " 55:40 And that's what it says about Jesus, 55:42 there was never another like Him. 55:44 God sent His unique Son. 55:46 Not that He was born, not that He was created. 55:49 But Jesus Christ is eternal, Jesus Christ is Jehovah God. 55:55 And at the burning bush, God said to Moses, "I AM." 56:00 "Who are You?" asked Moses. "I AM." 56:02 "I always have been, I am today, I always shall be. " 56:05 "I am eternal, I am Jehovah. " 56:08 Now, let's flash forward to the ministry of Jesus. 56:13 Folks would ask Him, "Who are You?" 56:15 And Jesus would respond with an answer that almost without 56:19 exception included two words, "I AM." 56:24 "I AM" "I AM" 56:27 And every time He said that, He was claiming to be 56:30 eternal Jehovah God. 56:32 "I am the way, I am the truth, I am the life, 56:37 I am the bread. " 56:41 "I AM", "I AM", "I AM" 56:44 You see? 56:45 "Before Abraham was, I AM." 56:48 Eternal Jehovah God. 56:49 Now, if someone should come to you and say to you, 56:54 "I don't believe that Jesus Christ is eternal God. 56:58 I don't believe that He is Jehovah. " 57:01 you might respond like often times I do. 57:06 You might then say, "Then you're in real trouble. " 57:11 "You're in real trouble if Jesus Christ is not 57:14 eternal Jehovah God. " 57:16 And when folks come knocking on my door and want to come in and 57:20 study the Bible with me, this is often where I will begin. 57:24 Because it is essential, it is the primary building block 57:28 as far as I'm concerned, of the Christian faith 57:31 and of the plan of salvation. |
Revised 2014-12-17