Thompsonville Worship Hour

He Prayed for You

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: Luis Capote

Home

Series Code: TWH

Program Code: TWH000026A


00:31 Our loving, Father.
00:34 I thank You, Lord,
00:35 for the opportunity that You give me
00:39 to come into the presence of Your children,
00:43 and to be able to speak about Your love,
00:47 and to be able to show them Your heaven.
00:54 And to be able to portray to them
00:57 the sacrifice of the cross that won it all for us.
01:02 Lord, you know there is nothing in me.
01:06 I lend You my voice,
01:07 I lend You my thoughts, I lend You.
01:12 All that is in me,
01:14 Lord, that You may speak to Your children today,
01:19 that they may put in practice
01:22 that You have prepared for them
01:25 that they may know
01:27 that You have given them the victory.
01:32 I think you, Lord.
01:34 Please blot all iniquities in our lives
01:38 and help us to surrender ourselves to You.
01:41 I ask these things in Christ's name, amen.
01:45 What a beautiful song,
01:48 it's well in our heart.
01:50 As I was studying and preparing myself
01:53 for the sermon.
01:55 The sermon is basically around
02:01 the prayer that Jesus had in John 17.
02:06 But in order for us to understand the prayer
02:09 in John 17,
02:10 we must first understand what he's talking about.
02:15 And I want to take you today a little glimpse
02:17 of Ellen White's first vision.
02:21 I want to try to paint in your life
02:24 what we are searching for,
02:26 what this world is really truly about why we are born?
02:33 When I walked in here and I looked at this picture
02:35 and I just almost fell into tears
02:39 because I look at Christ praying,
02:42 and I look at this prayer,
02:43 and I look what Christ has done and Christ is doing,
02:46 and what Christ wants and what Christ yearns,
02:49 and you'll be able to see it in these verses.
02:54 And I'm looking at and I'm understanding
02:56 and I'm thinking,
02:57 Lord, why is this so important for You
03:00 to let us understand what heaven is about?
03:04 And I'm looking at the words
03:06 that Ellen penned about her first vision
03:09 and it gave me so much joy
03:10 and yet it gave me so much suffering.
03:14 Our memory verse is found in John 17:6.
03:19 I'm reading on the King James Version
03:22 and it says,
03:23 "I have manifested thy name
03:26 unto thou... unto me
03:30 which thou unto the men which thou has given me
03:33 out of the world, thine they were,
03:37 and thou gavest to me,
03:38 and they kept thy words."
03:45 I love this prayer.
03:48 I love this prayer because it's talking to you,
03:51 is saying that Christ came to give you a word.
03:56 Christ came to show you the Father.
03:59 Christ came to involve
04:01 and to give you a glimpse of exactly
04:04 what He has intended what He has prepared,
04:08 and it's interesting
04:10 because it's not part of this vision,
04:12 but the Bible tells us that no man
04:14 or not nobody have seen, not perhaps imagine
04:17 what Christ has prepared for you.
04:20 And he's saying that these men that God has given Him,
04:24 He has sealed them with His Word.
04:30 I love the fact that we are free to come
04:32 to this country and open our Bibles.
04:35 You all know that I was born in a communist country
04:38 and there is countless individuals
04:40 that have difficulties to study.
04:43 And God gives us the opportunity
04:45 to be able to come here and open freely and we can go
04:49 almost anywhere slowly starting to slow down
04:52 and slowly being taken out.
04:53 The Ten Commandments are taken out of places,
04:56 prayer taken out of places,
04:57 so slowly but surely you got an understanding
04:59 that there are things
05:01 that are starting to creeping in this world
05:03 to stop you from having the freedom
05:05 to be able to open these words.
05:09 But unfortunately now
05:10 that the Word is so accessible to us
05:13 through so many means
05:14 is the time that individuals have taken
05:17 not to read it.
05:18 We have so much stuff that is thrown on us.
05:20 There are so many things that are given.
05:22 When they give us a tool like this
05:26 and we spend so much more time
05:28 without being in the Word when it's given to us,
05:31 you can right download all of Ellen White's writing,
05:34 you can download your Bible,
05:35 you have everything at your fingertip,
05:37 but then we decide not to do so.
05:40 So this prayer today,
05:41 Christ is trying to tell you, wake up.
05:45 Wake up, I'm coming.
05:48 Christ is trying to tell you,
05:50 Christ is trying to picture for you,
05:51 Christ is trying to tell you,
05:53 I have put the Word in your self,
05:56 so you may know the Word of God
05:58 and you may know
05:59 where I've come from, and we'll go to that.
06:02 It's a story of a young Upson man.
06:05 He's going on a train and the conductor is coming in
06:07 to get the tickets.
06:10 And the gentleman starts looking
06:12 all around frantically and he says,
06:13 don't worry about it,
06:15 I'm sure that you have it
06:16 and he says, "Oh, no, sir, you don't understand.
06:20 I need that ticket to know where I'm going."
06:25 How many of us have the same issue?
06:29 How many of us have the same ticket?
06:32 How many of us has God given the ticket for heaven?
06:36 And how many of us have misplaced this ticket?
06:39 How many of us have it on the back burner?
06:41 How many of us are looking,
06:43 and we are so busy doing other things
06:46 that we don't have the time
06:47 in order to give Him a few minutes in the morning,
06:50 or give Him a few minutes at night,
06:52 or give Him a few minutes in the mid week,
06:54 or give Him all our time.
06:56 How many of us have misplaced our ticket?
07:02 Because without the ticket,
07:04 we don't know where we're going.
07:14 In order to understand Christ prayer,
07:19 we must first long for heaven.
07:27 Many of us are traveling
07:29 through this world not wondering
07:31 what God is our purpose in life.
07:36 We're going and we come and many of us are saying,
07:39 Lord, why did You bring us to 3ABN?
07:42 When I was out there in the world,
07:44 Lord, I was able to worship.
07:45 I was able to do so many things.
07:47 I was able to give Bible studies
07:49 to my fellow coworkers.
07:50 I was able to do so much more.
07:52 Why did you bring me here to 3ABN?
07:58 What is my purpose?
08:01 And Christ is telling you today
08:03 that your purpose is to long for Him.
08:07 Christ is telling you today
08:08 that your purpose is to walk with Him.
08:11 Christ is telling you today
08:13 that your purpose is to surrender self
08:15 and to allow the Holy Spirit to walk through you,
08:19 so others can see the joy and the greatness that it is
08:23 to be a son and a daughter of God.
08:29 The only thing that you need to worry
08:31 for those 47 minutes
08:33 that you have on this earth is to be able to know
08:36 that you are walking in the light
08:39 that the Word is in you,
08:40 because when the Word is in you,
08:42 then you will belong to Christ,
08:46 because God has given you to Him.
08:56 Second coming is the title of her vision.
09:02 And says, "It was no long after passing by in 1844,
09:06 that my first vision was given to me.
09:10 I was visiting a dear friend in Christ
09:13 and the heart was knit with mine, five of us,
09:18 all women were kneeling quietly at the family
09:20 altar while we were praying the power of God came unto me
09:25 as I had never felt it before."
09:31 In order for us to fill the power of the Holy Spirit,
09:36 we must serve self first.
09:43 Come to the throne
09:45 we must first get off upright and get on our knees.
09:51 If you want to hear God,
09:53 then get on your knees and humble yourself
09:55 because when you stand up,
09:57 you're telling God I can do it when you kneel down,
10:00 you're telling Him you can do it.
10:05 It seems to be surrounded by light,
10:07 I seem to be surrounded by light never felt
10:11 and to be riding high and higher
10:13 and higher on the earth,
10:15 and I turned to look for the advent people
10:18 in the world but I could not find them.
10:23 When a voice said to me, "Look again
10:27 and I looked a little higher."
10:32 A lot of us are trying to look down
10:35 for our reward.
10:38 A lot of us are trying to look down
10:40 and looking at this earthly things
10:43 and what God can do for us,
10:46 we need to start to look up and what we can do for Christ.
10:50 Because it's when we start looking up
10:52 what we can do for Christ
10:53 is that's when we're going to start seeing
10:55 the saints that are working for Christ,
10:56 and those are the ones
10:58 that we're going to want to mingle with.
10:59 Those are the ones
11:01 that we're going to have friendship with.
11:02 Those are the ones
11:03 that are going to lead us to paradise.
11:08 "At this I raised my eyes,
11:11 and I saw a straight narrow path,
11:15 cast up high above the world.
11:17 On that path the advent people were traveling
11:20 towards the city behind them
11:23 and the beginning of the path was a bright light
11:27 which an angel told me
11:29 was the midnight cry."
11:34 Is this path that she's going in
11:37 and the saints are going with her,
11:39 but in order for us to understand,
11:41 we have to go through with the midnight cry,
11:43 we want to go to Matthew.
11:46 Matthew 25,
11:48 and I'm going to read verses 4-12,
11:51 we know that story well.
11:55 Matthew 25.
11:58 And you're asking yourself,
11:59 what does this have to do with the story.
12:04 And you will see when we go and it says,
12:06 I'm reading verse 4,
12:08 "But the wise took the oil
12:11 in their vessels with their lamps.
12:12 But while the bridegroom was delayed,
12:15 they slumbered and slept."
12:20 Verse 6.
12:22 "And the midnight cry was heard
12:24 'Behold the bridegroom is coming,
12:26 go out to meet him!
12:28 Then all those virgins arose
12:30 and trembled their lamps.'
12:34 And the foolish said to the wise,
12:36 'Give us some of your oil for our lamps
12:40 are going out.'"
12:43 We're talking about individuals that are in the church.
12:46 We're talking about individuals that have the same purpose.
12:49 We're talking about individuals that have been taught.
12:52 We're talking about individuals that have the same tools.
12:55 We're talking about individuals
12:56 that their parents have guided them.
12:58 We're talking about individuals that they're on that walk,
13:02 they're on their way, they're on their on,
13:05 Ellen White to see in these particular individuals.
13:13 It says, "But the wise answered, saying,
13:17 'No, lest there should not be enough
13:21 for us and you,
13:23 but go rather to those who sell,
13:26 and buy for yourself.'
13:28 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came,
13:32 and these who were ready went in to the wedding,
13:37 and the door was shut."
13:43 But it's verse 11, the one that breaks my heart.
13:48 It says, "Afterwards the other virgins came also,
13:51 saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!'
13:56 But He answered and said,
13:58 'Assuredly, I say to you,
14:01 I do not know you.'"
14:09 The midnight cry.
14:11 Can you taste it?
14:13 Can you taste Christ coming?
14:16 Can you see all of the things being fulfilled?
14:20 Is your bottle filled with the Holy Spirit?
14:26 Can you go through this last earth moment?
14:30 Are you sure?
14:33 Are you understanding
14:34 even if you look at the other virgins,
14:37 they're saying, "I can't give you any
14:39 because I'm not sure if I have enough."
14:42 Every day God is giving you the opportunity
14:45 to fulfill your purpose.
14:47 Every day as God is giving you
14:48 the chance to be able to understand
14:50 that when you surrender yourself
14:53 and you give all to Him,
14:56 then your lamp is full of the spirit
15:00 and then He will welcome you in.
15:04 Having little spirit equates
15:07 to Jesus knowing you not.
15:15 The vision continues.
15:18 "This light shone all along the path
15:20 that their feet might not stumble.
15:24 Jesus Himself went just before His people
15:27 to lead them forward.
15:30 And as long as they kept their eyes fixed on Him,
15:34 they were saved."
15:38 I don't know how many of you
15:40 when you're trying to give Bible studies
15:42 and you're talking about the Bible,
15:44 when you opened a Bible
15:45 and you're telling all these people
15:47 how God has asked us to do certain things
15:50 and then they come back and they tell us,
15:52 oh, you're just a legalist.
15:55 Christ save us by grace and grace alone.
15:57 We need not worry about those aspects
16:01 and those are individuals
16:02 that have taken their focus from Christ,
16:05 they've taken their eyes from God.
16:07 They've taken their eyes from their purpose.
16:09 They've taken their eyes from their reward,
16:12 because there is nothing in us
16:14 that would help us to keep the commandments.
16:18 It is when we focus in Christ that we are walking with Him
16:22 and the Holy Spirit is the one that takes us step by step,
16:26 by step, by step and we are following
16:28 Christ example in our life
16:31 and when we are following Christ
16:33 nothing but the victory is what's important to us.
16:39 "But soon some grew weary,
16:43 and said city was a great way off
16:47 and they expected to have entered it before.
16:51 Then Jesus would encourage them
16:54 by rising His glorious right arm
16:58 from which came the light
17:00 that waved over the advent band
17:03 and they shouted hallelujah."
17:08 Have you had moments in your life
17:10 that you want to give up?
17:11 Have you got the moments in your life
17:12 that's been difficult?
17:14 Have you had moment in your life
17:15 that you wondered how much longer Lord?
17:19 I would need you to come today.
17:21 I need you to come
17:23 because I don't want to do this today.
17:24 I need you to come
17:25 because I don't know what to do.
17:27 Other times in your life
17:28 where you feel that there is no hope.
17:32 Christ is raising His hand and saying, "Come look to Me,
17:36 I've got the hope.
17:37 I can take care of all of your problems.
17:40 I can take care of all of your issues.
17:42 Surrender yourself to me and I will give you the power."
17:48 Just keep your eyes on the victory.
17:50 Just keep your eyes in heaven.
17:56 "Others wryly define the light behind them and said,
17:59 "Was not God that had led them out so far?
18:03 The light behind them went out leaving their feet
18:06 in perfect darkness and they stumbled
18:09 and lost sight of the mark of hand of Jesus,
18:14 and fell off the path down into the dark
18:18 and wicked world below."
18:22 Is that happening to you today?
18:26 Is the enemy
18:27 trying to show you how evil you are?
18:30 Is the enemy trying to show you
18:31 all the sins that you have committed?
18:33 Is the enemy trying to show you
18:35 how you are not worthy to be in the presence of God?
18:38 Is the enemy trying to tell you, look,
18:40 your great grandfather was preaching that.
18:42 This been talking for 6,000 for over a whole lot of times.
18:47 Why don't you just give up?
18:48 Is that's what's happening to you?
18:49 Are you looking at your victory,
18:52 or are you looking down?
18:54 Are you all falling weary?
18:56 Are you feeling that it's too long?
18:58 Are you feeling it's thirsty?
18:59 Are you feeling that it's too difficult?
19:06 "Soon we heard the voice of God like many waters
19:09 which gave us the day and the hour of Jesus' coming.
19:13 The living saints,
19:14 144,000 in numbers knew and understood the voice
19:19 while the wicked though it was,
19:22 thought it was thunder and earthquake."
19:29 So many of that is happening today.
19:31 So many of that is happening
19:33 when we're trying to plant the seed of Christ
19:35 in individual's life.
19:37 They're thinking that we are judging them.
19:39 They're thinking
19:40 that we are bringing condemnation to them.
19:42 I heard it just this past Thursday,
19:44 their past Sunday.
19:46 When I was at the prison ministry
19:47 one of the man there, he says,
19:49 "When you guys were talking about the Sabbath,
19:51 I was saved by grace, you're trying to condemn me."
19:59 And God spake the time
20:03 He poured out upon us the Holy Spirit.
20:08 And our faces begun and light up and shine
20:11 with the glory of God
20:12 and Moses did what when he came...
20:15 As Moses did when he came from Sinai, Mount Sinai.
20:20 Soon our eyes were drawn to the east
20:24 for the small black cloud had appeared
20:27 about half as large as a man's hand
20:32 which we all knew was the sign of the Son of man.
20:36 In the solemn silence,
20:37 we all gazed on the clouds and as it drew near
20:41 and became brighter,
20:42 glorious and still more glorious,
20:44 still it was great white cloud,
20:47 can you see it?
20:50 Can you experience it?
20:52 Can you see Christ coming?
20:55 Can you see that cloud?
20:58 Because He's coming.
21:00 And if it's in your heart,
21:01 it doesn't matter if you can't physically see it.
21:04 You can understand that my Christ,
21:06 the One that died on the cross,
21:08 the One that's praying there is the one
21:10 that is saying, "The victory has been won.
21:13 That cloud is coming.
21:15 I'm coming soon to take you home."
21:20 The bottom appeared like fire and rainbow
21:23 was over the clouds,
21:25 while around there were 10,000 angels singing
21:28 the most lovely song
21:30 and upon it sat the Son of man."
21:37 I don't know about you,
21:39 but I love my Jesus.
21:41 I don't know about you, but I can't wait for Him.
21:45 Unfortunately, I can't, I need to do more.
21:48 There's more brothers, there's more sisters,
21:50 there's more individuals that are needing to hear
21:53 about how great He is, how wonderful He is,
21:56 and the victory that He gave us
21:58 in order for Him to come in the cloud.
22:00 Are you waiting for Him,
22:01 then work for Him, go ye and teach.
22:09 "His hair was white and curly and lay on His shoulder upon,
22:13 and upon His head were many crowns.
22:17 His feet had the appearance of fire,
22:19 and His right hand was a sharp sickle,
22:22 and His left a silver trumpet,
22:24 His eyes were as a flame of fire,
22:27 which searched His children
22:29 through and through.
22:34 Then the faces gathered paleness,
22:39 and those that God had rejected gathered blackness.
22:44 Then we all cried out, "Who shall be able to stand.
22:49 Is my robe spotless?
22:53 The angel ceased to sing,
22:56 and there was a time off awful silence
23:00 when Christ spoke those who have clean hands
23:06 and pure heart shall be able to stand.
23:14 My grace is sufficient for you."
23:21 How many are grateful for the grace of God?
23:25 I am glad, I'm not God.
23:27 I am glad, I'm not the one the judges.
23:30 I'm glad that I'm not the one
23:31 that's going to search your heart.
23:33 I'm glad that I'm not the one
23:35 that I'm going to put my earthly thoughts
23:37 and my earthly thinking in order for you to be saved
23:42 but it's Christ grace which is sufficient for you.
23:50 "At this our faces light up, and joy filled every heart.
23:55 And the angels struck a note higher and sang again,
24:00 while the clouds grew still nearer to the earth.
24:04 Then Jesus' silver trumpet sounded
24:07 as He descended on the clouds,
24:10 wrapped in the frames of fire.
24:12 He gazed on the graves and the sleeping saints,
24:16 then raised His eyes and hands
24:20 to heaven, and cried, "Awake!
24:22 Awake! Awake!
24:24 ye that are sleep in the dust, and arise."
24:29 Can you feel it?
24:31 Can you see those who we have lost?
24:33 Can you see individuals that are sleeping in Christ?
24:36 Can you hear the voice of Christ saying,
24:39 awake and awake?
24:41 Can you see them coming out in victory?
24:45 I don't know about you,
24:46 but I'm waiting for that day and He says,
24:48 "Then there was a mightily earthquake.
24:52 The graves opened
24:53 and the dead came up clothed with immortality.
24:58 The 144,000 shouted, "Hallelujah."
25:02 And they rejoiced their friends
25:04 who had been torn from them by death.
25:07 And in the same moment we were changed
25:10 and we were caught up together
25:11 with them to meet the Lord in the air."
25:16 Isn't that an amazing hope for each one of us?
25:19 Isn't it worth our 47 minutes like Michael said,
25:24 "Isn't that worth to follow God?
25:26 Isn't that worth following what God purpose
25:29 for us to be able to see Him
25:31 and be transformed in a twinkle of an eye,
25:34 to be able to be caught up with Jesus."
25:36 Whatever you're going through,
25:38 whatever the enemy is telling you,
25:39 you're not worth it,
25:40 I'm telling you Christ is telling you,
25:42 "My grace is sufficient to you."
25:48 "We all enter the cloud together,
25:50 and were seven days according to the sea and glass
25:53 and when Jesus brought the crown...
25:59 and which His own right hand
26:04 placed them on our heads.
26:09 Can you feel it?
26:12 Can you feel Christ hands
26:15 with the crown put it in your head?
26:17 Can you feel that victory? Can you feel it?
26:21 Do you understand that in order to understand
26:24 the prayer on John 17,
26:26 you must understand what heaven is all about?
26:30 You must understand what we're going for?
26:32 You must understand
26:34 that when we have our eyes upwards to Jesus,
26:37 when we can feel that crown in our head,
26:40 then the enemy has no chance to come and tempt us
26:43 because our goal, our mission,
26:46 our purpose is to follow
26:49 Christ and His anointing and His grace.
26:57 "He gave us harps of gold
27:01 and palms of victory.
27:04 Here on the sea of glass,
27:07 a 144,000 stood in a perfect square.
27:11 Some had even bright crowns,
27:15 others not so bright.
27:17 Some crown appeared
27:19 highly heavy with stars,
27:24 while others had but a few.
27:27 You know, let me tell you something.
27:31 It doesn't matter
27:33 how many stars are in that crown.
27:36 What matters is that you have the crown.
27:40 But you know
27:41 our purpose is to fill that crown with jewels.
27:45 You see we forget sometimes, we forget when we get so busy,
27:50 we forget when we start our aspirations,
27:52 we forget when we start worrying about other things.
27:55 We forget that God put us
27:58 here to fill the crown with jewels.
28:02 You know, whenever I have a policy
28:04 that whenever somebody asked me
28:06 to do something for the Lord, I say yes,
28:08 and sometimes it gets me into pickles,
28:10 it gets me into situation, it gets me in front of you,
28:13 and I don't understand what I'm doing in front of you.
28:16 I'm not worthy to be in front of you,
28:19 but God tells me if you say, yes to me,
28:21 I will give you the words to say,
28:23 I will use you to My glory.
28:27 And glory be to God in the highest
28:29 that is the one that empowers you.
28:31 Don't be scared of God.
28:34 Don't be scared of what He asked you.
28:36 If He feels you are capable of doing it,
28:39 He will let you do it
28:41 and whether you're fearful or not,
28:43 whether you can hear your heart pumping,
28:45 whatever happens, let me tell you,
28:48 if it wins a crown,
28:50 if it wins a jewel in your crown,
28:52 then let it be.
28:55 It's not about the jewels, it's about the crown,
28:58 but the jewels are the one that makes it sweeter.
29:03 Because when you get to heaven,
29:06 when you get to heaven
29:07 and Christ is putting that crown on your head,
29:09 and you feel that that crown is full of jewels,
29:13 then you can say to yourself,
29:15 I'm not alone, I brought an army with me.
29:23 "All were perfectly satisfied with their crown.
29:26 And they were all clothed with the glorious white mantle
29:31 from their shoulders to their feet.
29:33 Angels were all about us
29:35 as we marched over to the sea of glass
29:38 to the gate of the city."
29:43 Can you imagine that day?
29:46 Can you imagine what those gates
29:47 are going to look like?
29:49 Or can you imagine
29:50 what that sea is going to look like?
29:53 Wouldn't you like your neighbor to be there?
29:56 Wouldn't you like your coworker to be there?
29:59 Wouldn't you like your family to be there?
30:04 "Jesus raised His mighty,
30:09 glorious arm,
30:11 laid hold of the pearly gates,
30:14 swung it back
30:16 on the glitters hinges,
30:20 and said to us,
30:22 "You have washed your robes in My blood,
30:27 stood stiffly for My truth,
30:33 enter in."
30:35 I don't know about you,
30:37 but my mind is going crazy right now.
30:40 My mind is seeing Christ
30:43 firmly with those gates and His arms
30:46 and my mind is seeing how He's opening the gates.
30:49 And I could see and I could hear,
30:52 I could hear those gates opening.
30:53 And I could hear when Christ is telling me,
30:56 you have taken all,
30:58 you have taken My Word, you have put it to practice,
31:01 you have been count worthy.
31:03 Come and enter into the kingdom that I have prepared for you.
31:10 When we look at it that way,
31:11 is there anything on this earth that compares to it?
31:16 Is there anything on this earth
31:17 that you're willing to give up that moment for?
31:21 Is there anything on this earth
31:22 that the enemy can tempt you
31:24 in order for you
31:26 to not vision that moment when Christ takes those gates
31:29 and open them up and He tells you,
31:34 "Come and enter,
31:37 you have washed your robe with My blood."
31:42 He says enter in.
31:47 "We all marched in and felt,
31:50 and we felt we had
31:52 a perfect right there."
31:57 How many of you feel that today?
32:00 I'm telling you, I don't.
32:03 Every day the enemy is trying to just bog me down
32:06 with all the things that he feels I do wrong,
32:09 with all the things that he tells me,
32:11 I'm not worthy to be in the kingdom,
32:13 but on that day I'm going to be worthy.
32:15 On that day I'm going to know I belong.
32:19 Don't let the enemy lie to you
32:21 because you know you belong
32:23 because the word is in you, if you accept,
32:27 if you have your ticket, here is your ticket,
32:30 don't lose it, this ticket is telling you
32:33 where you are going.
32:35 This ticket is putting you at that place.
32:37 Can't you feel it?
32:43 "Within the city we saw the tree and the life
32:46 and the throne of God.
32:47 Out of the throne came a pure river of water,
32:50 and on either side of the river
32:54 were the tree of life."
32:59 One of the things that my wife and I love to do
33:01 is to go to Raine Lake
33:03 whenever the sun down, it's coming.
33:06 And I love to see the water
33:07 but is that water going to pale anything
33:10 to what Christ has prepared for us.
33:12 Can you imagine,
33:13 can you see how we that river
33:15 we're going to go there's so clear,
33:17 there's no toxins, there's nothing,
33:20 it's all wonderful the way that Christ created it.
33:24 Are you imagining it with me?
33:26 Are you yearning for heaven
33:28 like I'm yearning for heaven right now?
33:30 Can you feel Christ
33:32 trying to come and tell you, son and daughter,
33:36 don't listen to the enemy,
33:38 don't listen to his negativity lesson to me.
33:42 And I am telling you with my blood,
33:43 I've given you
33:45 the righteousness with My blood.
33:46 I've cleansed you with My blood,
33:48 I've made you free.
33:49 Come enter into my kingdom.
33:53 "On one side of the river was a trunk of a tree
33:56 and the trunk on that side of the river,
33:59 both of pure, transparent gold.
34:03 Then at first, I thought I saw two trees.
34:08 I looked again, and I saw
34:09 that they were united on the top
34:15 in one tree.
34:16 So it was the tree of life
34:19 on either side of the river of life.
34:22 It branches brood to the place
34:26 where we stood and the fruit was glorious,
34:32 which looked like gold mixed with silver."
34:36 You know some of you really don't know
34:40 what a mango tastes like.
34:43 And some of you really don't know
34:45 what avocado tastes like.
34:47 And some of you really don't know
34:49 what a lot of things is supposed to taste like.
34:53 But in that day we're going to taste the fruit
34:56 the way the Creator intended it to be.
35:02 I long to be in heaven.
35:05 I want to be in heaven.
35:09 "We all were under the tree
35:11 and we sat down to look at the glory of the place,
35:15 when Brethren Fitch and Stockman,
35:18 who had preached the gospel of the kingdom,
35:21 and whom God had laid into the grave
35:23 to save them came up to us and ask us
35:28 what we had passed through
35:29 while they were asleep."
35:35 Can you imagine?
35:37 Can you imagine the stories
35:38 that we're going to be able to tell
35:41 those who slept before us.
35:43 How things have changed.
35:46 When I look at, when I read the book Great Controversy,
35:50 and I look at those pioneers,
35:51 and I look what they went through,
35:52 I look how they were burned at the stake for their belief,
35:55 and I see my commitment to God, and I shrivel.
35:59 I just said, Lord,
36:00 how is it possible that a man like that
36:03 can actually just surrender fully to You and me.
36:06 I'm saying, oh, woe with me,
36:08 for any little things that happen in my life.
36:12 When our eyes are fixed in Christ,
36:15 when our eyes are fixed in the victory,
36:17 the woes with me go away and all we can say,
36:21 glory, glory, glory to God on high.
36:26 "We tried to call up our greatest trials.
36:30 Oh, Lord Jesus.
36:32 But they looked so small compare
36:35 with the far more exceedingly
36:38 and eternal weight of glory that surrounded us
36:42 that we could not speak them out,
36:45 and we all cried out 'Hallelujah,
36:48 heaven is cheap enough.'
36:54 And we touched our golden harps
36:59 and made heaven's arches ring."
37:04 I could imagine we all were listening to Jenny
37:07 as she was playing and we said, "Amen, how wonderful."
37:10 Imagine when all of us are playing a harp.
37:12 Imagine when all of us are making music.
37:15 Can you taste it? Can you feel it?
37:17 Can you experience? Can you hear it?
37:23 I relayed this vision to the believers in Portland
37:27 who had full confidence that it was from God,
37:31 the Spirit of the Lord,
37:33 attended to the testimony
37:36 and the solemnity
37:37 and eternity rest upon us.
37:43 While under the power of the Lord,
37:45 I was filled with joy seeming to be surrounded
37:49 by the holy angels
37:50 in the glorious courts of heaven
37:52 were all in peace and gladness,
37:55 and it was a sad bitter change
38:00 to wake up to the realities of mortal life.
38:10 The enemy knows.
38:13 The enemy understands
38:14 that when we are in the presence of God,
38:19 he can't do anything.
38:21 The enemy understands
38:23 that when we surrender ourselves to Him,
38:28 he's powerless.
38:30 The enemy knows that when our purpose in life
38:34 is to be in heaven.
38:38 The enemy knows that when our eyes
38:41 are fully fixed on that day
38:43 when Christ put the crown on our heads.
38:46 On that day when Christ's arms opens the gates
38:49 and tells us to come in.
38:51 The enemy knows that he can't do anything.
39:01 We must be in a place
39:02 where this world is eternal.
39:07 We must be in a place
39:08 that when we realize...
39:13 that we're not following exactly what God is asking us
39:17 that we are in raged,
39:20 we are sad, we are not.
39:23 We need to understand that the only thing
39:26 that's important to us today
39:28 is to follow Christ and Him alone.
39:34 Like the pastor said
39:37 that was just the preliminary,
39:39 now here comes the sermon.
39:42 Now we go to John 17.
39:48 Reason why I had to put you
39:49 through that is because now you understand
39:51 what this is all about.
39:54 Now you understand when Christ said,
39:56 "I yearn for them to be with me."
39:59 John 17:1,
40:02 "Father, the hour has come.
40:08 Glorify Your Son,
40:10 that Your Son
40:12 may glorify You."
40:17 The only reason
40:19 why you need
40:21 to have a relationship with God.
40:24 The only reason
40:26 why we surrender ourselves is for us
40:30 to be able to reflect God to those around us.
40:35 If we're not reflecting God,
40:37 then our walk is for nothing.
40:43 We are but those who were on their walk.
40:47 We are but those foolish virgins
40:50 that they were so close.
40:51 They were at the door,
40:54 and the door even opened to them,
40:56 imagine how close they were.
40:58 And the voice that came out said,
41:00 "I know you not."
41:03 "For you granted him authority over all people,
41:09 that he might give eternal life to all those
41:12 who have given him."
41:16 A lot of the times
41:18 when the enemy comes to your heart and to tell you
41:20 that you are not worthy to be in his presence,
41:22 remember that we have been purchased
41:26 by the blood of Jesus.
41:29 Tell the enemy, turn around,
41:31 my Jesus already paid for those.
41:34 Sinful, sure I'm, perpetually to sin, sure,
41:38 but Christ has blotted those sins
41:41 from my life and it is He who is in me.
41:46 Now verse 3, "This is eternal life:
41:49 that they know you,
41:52 the only true God, and Jesus Christ,
41:54 whom you have sent."
41:59 Verse 4, "I have brought you glory on earth
42:02 by finishing the work
42:05 you have given me to do."
42:10 Are you finishing His work?
42:13 Are you continuing His purpose?
42:16 Are you understanding what He requires of you?
42:19 Have you searched yourself and found that you are worthy?
42:23 Are you understanding that just loving God
42:27 is just the beginning?
42:29 Sharing Him is our goal.
42:32 Sharing Him is our purpose.
42:34 Sharing Him is our requirement.
42:38 Not for heaven,
42:40 it's for us to rejoice and to be able to say,
42:42 "Lord the work that You have given me,
42:46 I have done."
42:51 Verse 5, "And now, Father,
42:53 glorify me in your presence
42:56 with the glory I had with you
43:00 before the world began.
43:04 Verse 6, "I have revealed you to those
43:08 whom you gave me out of the world.
43:11 They were yours, you gave them to me
43:14 and they have obeyed your word.
43:17 Now they know that everything
43:19 you have given me comes from you.
43:24 For I gave them the words you gave me
43:27 and they accepted them.
43:29 They knew with certainty that I came from you,
43:34 and they believed that you sent me."
43:39 And here it is verse 9,
43:42 "I pray for them.
43:49 I am not praying for the world,
43:52 but for those who have given me,
43:56 for they are yours."
44:01 Christ is praying
44:05 for you.
44:08 Verse 10, "All I have is yours, and all you have is mine.
44:14 And glory have come to me through them.
44:17 I will remain in the world no longer,
44:21 but they are still in the world,
44:23 and I am coming to you.
44:25 Holy Father, protect them
44:27 by the power of your name,
44:32 the name you gave me,
44:34 so that day may be one as we are one.
44:39 While I was with them,
44:41 I protected them and kept them safe
44:44 by that name you gave me.
44:48 None have been lost
44:49 except the ones doomed for destruction
44:52 so the Scripture would be fulfilled."
44:56 When Christ saves you,
44:58 He does the work for you,
45:01 in you, through you.
45:04 There is nothing in you that you are capable of doing.
45:08 It is Christ who has done the work.
45:11 He came, He showed you, He showed you the Father,
45:14 He has sent the spirit,
45:16 so the spirit can work through you
45:18 and that you can do great things
45:21 for His glory, for His Honor, for His kingdom.
45:27 "I am coming on to you now,
45:29 but I say these things while I am still."
45:32 Verse 13, "In the world,
45:34 so that they may have the full measures
45:37 of the joy within them."
45:41 The full measure of the joy is what I just read to you
45:44 and that is heaven and that is being with him.
45:50 "My prayer is not
45:52 that you take them out of the world
45:55 but that you protect them
45:58 from the evil one."
46:03 Christ has sent His spirit to protect you,
46:09 like the pastor said a few weeks ago,
46:10 you have two great angels beside you
46:14 that protects you all the time, they take care of your issues,
46:17 take care of your problems.
46:19 Christ is only telling you,
46:21 please follow My instructions
46:24 and take the words to those around you,
46:28 don't worry about the enemy.
46:31 I have taken care of him.
46:33 I have already won the victory.
46:35 I have already died in the cross.
46:37 Go with boldness, and power and glory,
46:41 and go and bring those who are lost to me.
46:47 Verse 17,
46:49 "Sanctify them by truth,
46:54 your word is truth.
46:56 As you sent me into the world,
46:58 I have sent them into the world.
47:01 For them I sanctify myself,
47:05 that they too may be truly sanctified.
47:12 My prayer is not for them alone.
47:17 I pray also for those
47:19 who will believe in me
47:23 through their message."
47:26 Brothers and sisters, Christ prayed for you,
47:29 but Christ prayed for you to deliver a message.
47:32 Christ prayed for you to tell your neighbors.
47:35 Christ prayed for you to tell your friends.
47:38 Christ prayed for you to tell the earth.
47:41 Christ prayed for you to show Christ
47:45 to those that are around you.
47:46 To those who are who do not know them.
47:49 To those who are wondering
47:51 what they're missing in their life.
47:53 And when they tell you that they are missing something
47:55 you have it is Christ, give it to them,
47:57 because Christ prayed for you,
47:59 for you to be able to show them
48:03 who He is.
48:06 "That all of them may be one,
48:10 Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.
48:14 May they also be in us
48:17 so that the world may believe that you have sent me."
48:26 How beautiful it is.
48:28 Verse 22, "I have given them the glory that you gave me,
48:34 that they may be one as we are one.
48:37 I in them and you in me,
48:41 so that they may be brought
48:43 to complete unity.
48:49 Then the world will know
48:52 that you sent me
48:54 and have loved them
48:55 even as you have loved me."
49:02 God loves you,
49:05 God yearns for you to be with Him.
49:10 Christ is telling you what are you waiting for?
49:15 What are you holding back?
49:18 You know, I'm reminded of the story
49:20 of this gentleman that was looking for a house.
49:25 And when he looked for his house,
49:27 this, he found the one,
49:29 the perfect, the one that he wanted.
49:30 It had the right amount of bedroom.
49:33 It had the kitchen that he wanted,
49:34 had the right amount of bathroom
49:37 and he walked in and he says, "How much is the house?"
49:39 And the gentleman said,
49:40 "The house is free,
49:42 you don't have to pay for it.
49:44 The only thing is that I must keep one nail,
49:48 one nail I'm going to put in your living room.
49:51 That's mine, I could put in it whatever I want,
49:54 whenever I want."
49:57 And the gentleman said, "Boy, that's wonderful."
50:00 And he went on and the first day
50:03 he wakes up and there's a dead animal
50:05 on that nail.
50:06 The next day there were dirty clothes.
50:08 The next day there was all of these things
50:10 on that one nail.
50:12 You have a whole house,
50:13 that one nail was infecting everything in his life.
50:17 Is there is one sin in your life
50:19 is infecting everything in your life,
50:21 and it's keeping you from the promise
50:23 that God has given you.
50:24 Is keeping you from the reason why He prayed for you.
50:27 And it's keeping you from you to take the message
50:29 to those around you.
50:41 Now let's turn to Luke 23.
50:50 I want to read verse 34,
50:54 says, "Jesus said, 'Father forgive them,
51:00 for they do not know what they are doing.'
51:03 And they divided up his clothes
51:08 by casting lots."
51:12 At the cross
51:16 when Christ was dying for your sins.
51:21 At the cross when Christ was wondering
51:26 what His last moment on earth
51:30 was going to be like,
51:31 whether He was going to be able to bear
51:32 all the sins on the world.
51:34 He was saying, "Father, please forgive them
51:38 because I want to die for each one of them."
51:47 You go down to verse 44.
51:53 "It was about noon,
51:56 and darkness came over the whole land
51:59 until three in the afternoon,
52:03 for the sun stopped shining.
52:06 And the curtains of the temple was torn in two.
52:09 "Jesus called out with a loud voice,
52:11 'Father, into your hands
52:14 I commit my spirit.'
52:18 When he had said this,
52:21 he breathed his last."
52:25 Jesus' prayer for you today
52:29 is because He knows where He wants to take you.
52:34 Jesus is telling you today
52:36 brother, sister,
52:40 My grace is sufficient.
52:43 Come and enter into the kingdom that I have prepared for you.
52:51 The punishment of sin has been paid.
52:57 The victory of salvation is your reward.
53:02 I ask you today,
53:06 how many of you would like that victory?
53:10 If you can picture,
53:14 if you imagine,
53:17 if you imagine that crown
53:19 being put on your head,
53:22 if you imagine Christ's hands opening up the gate.
53:27 And Christ saying, come in. Would you come?
53:31 I'm asking you to come if you can feel Christ coming.
53:36 And I want to pray for you.
53:38 I welcome you, please come.
53:44 I ask you to come in.
53:48 I want you to think about the words
53:50 that Christ was talking about, Lord,
53:52 I have put My words in them
53:57 and I have shown you the Father,
53:58 I've shown them the Father.
54:01 And I want you to know that God is telling you
54:05 when you're full of the Spirit of God,
54:10 God will give you all your wants.
54:15 And I want you to leave today assured
54:18 that that day is coming and that day is coming soon.
54:21 Our loving Father,
54:24 I surrender all to You.
54:27 All to You I freely give.
54:31 Lord, I thank You for praying for me.
54:33 I thank You for showing me heaven today,
54:36 and I thank You because I yearn to be with You.
54:40 Thank You, Lord, for showing me that those who have rested,
54:43 You are going to awake, and I'm going to see them,
54:46 Lord, and I thank You.
54:48 Thank you because Lord with the sacrifice
54:51 that You did in the cross, You have said, "It is done."
54:56 And, Lord, I thank You because You love me so much
55:01 that You have given me
55:06 that great opportunity to be able to die to self
55:11 and to shine in your presence.
55:16 Please, Lord, seal us for Your kingdom.
55:19 As Your children are here, Lord, they can taste it.
55:22 They stood up
55:23 because they can taste Your presence,
55:25 and I want You to continue
55:28 to allow us to be this light
55:32 in all the world around us.
55:35 That when we receive that crown not for our glory,
55:40 Lord, but for Your glory
55:41 may that crown be full of jewels.
55:47 That we may say to God,
55:49 God, I have given the words
55:51 that You have given me
55:53 and they have seen You
55:55 because I've shown in to You.
55:57 We ask these things,
55:58 Lord, in the precious name of Jesus.
56:00 Amen and amen.


Home

Revised 2017-09-11