God has promised that if we draw near to Him,
He will draw near to us. The Bible tells the story
of the father longing to be reunited with his ... son
and of the father's joy when his son finally returns home.
This touching illustration reveals God's desire to have
us come close to Him. Let's draw near to God
and He will draw near to us.
Good evening again, friends, to our final presentation here
in this Revive series called "Joy Near"!
Over the past three evenings, we have gathered together
and we have drawn near to God and God has drawn near to us.
We have humbled ourselves in His sight and He has lifted us up.
To audience here in Forth Worth, welcome!
Thank for coming out, night after night,
thank for being here tonight and those of you who are
joining us live via satellite to our national and international
audience, we want to welcome you,
thank you for being a part of this Revive series.
Even though the Revive is finishing tonight,
our prayer is that this be the beginning
of even a greater revival, that the Holy Spirit will be
pourred upon God's church, that the church of God
will go forth, clothed in the righteousness of Jesus,
to do the work that God has called us to do,
so Jesus can come and we can all go home. Amin?
Amin!
Tonight, passing to Doug, sermon is entitled
"Hanging on a promise". And once more, let's prepare
our hearts by singing our Revive song,
"Revive Us, Lord". Please stand, as John and Katie Lee
sing this beautiful song.
Amin! Remain standing as we kneel on the platform
and tonight our prayer will be offered by pastor Jean Ross.
Dear Father, which are in Heaven, indeed it is a privilege
for us to call You our Father. You've adopted us into
your family. You've clothed us with your robe.
You've made us sons are daughters of the most high.
Father, tonight, we ask that you would draw close to us
once more, as we draw close to you.
Fill our hearts with Your spirit, cleanse us of self,
let Jesus be seen through us and in us.
Revive us, Lord! We ask this special blessing tonight
on pass to Doug, that you would be with him, once more
giving the words to speak. May speak with power,
May his words touch our hearts. May we be confident by
Your spirit and may we go forth being your ambassadors
to a world that is dying to see Jesus.
Mold us Father, make us into the kind of people
that You would have us to be and fill our hearts with prays
for your goodness, for this is our prayer in Jesus' name.
Amin!
You may be sitting.
Thank you, pastor Ross, John, Jamie, Kelly.
For those of you who are here, you know, but for our friends
who are watching, we've just had a very inspiring
music programme and that was a real blessing.
You know, we are... I want to welcome you again
to this 05 Revive Drawing Near programme.
This is our last programme in this presentation,
but we're hoping that nobody think that that means
this is the end of the Revival. We're hoping that this would
mean new life and a new experience with the Lord,
for each of you acclaiming the promise as we draw
near to God, He will draw near to us.
And let's see...
What's the time? I have a question and I don't
want to turn this upside down when I look at, alright?
You love when I do this to you, don't you?
Yes. So, I operate.
The question is tell us briefly, Doug Batchelor,
amazing f..., what do you see around the corner,
what do you see in the light of the closing moments
of Earth's history, what big thing is next?
We've done all 5 Revive, I know well enough,
you're not going to set back and retire,
you're not going to relax. Where your ahead of?
I appreciate that question. That wasn't on the list.
I know. Never thought about it just about one minute ago.
Well, we're very excited about anything we can do
to multiply the gospel by helping every member realize
they have spiritual gifts and their own ministers.
I don't know about you, Danny, but I just had my forth
grandchild and I'm feeling the aches and pains
and I realize that the best thing I can do in evangelism
is make more evangelists. And so we have a real burden
to the amazing facts, not only to do outreach and preach
the gospel as we're doing, and I know that's also
a vision of 3ABN, but we want to train people for evangelism
and ministry. So, that's the real passion we have.
We're building a new college, we're building the empower
church programme and that's of course with the regular
broadcast going to India this coming year
and to stay really busy trying to preach the gospel.
We're excited about what you're doing, about what God
is allowing, how is allowing this message to travel
to the world and opening up in places like China.
Your ears will probably really purk up, won' they
from talking about those type of things,
to get the gospel and do all the work.
Thank you, Doug. Here's a question.
A protocol person says if you bear a prodigal son
or daughter and you want to return home to the Lord,
how do you know that you're travelling on the road
that will lead you there and especially if you tried before
and didn't make it. What do you do to somebody
that really wants to do something, but they're
kind of afraid where to go and not knowing how to get truth?
Good question. First of all, thy word is truth.
Follow Christ's word and you know you're safe.
The shortest distance between two points is... what?
Straight line. When I'm flying, sometimes if I'm flying
via far, I fix my eyes on a point on the horizon
and I fly towards it. That's the best way to get
to your destination. Straight line.
Sometimes, it's bad whether and you got to fly by instrument.
This is our map. These are the instruments.
Now when I fly by instrument, you got something in the plane
called the GPS. It uses satellites up in the sky
to help you find your position. But if you only have one
satellite, it can't tell you where you are.
It needs to triangulate with at least three,
more is even better. Comparing Scripture with Scripture
the more Scriptures you have, the safer you are
when you are on the right track.
So, it's like if you're going down the road and you see
a sign that says you're heading towards Interstate 10,
but you don't see it for a long time and you start worrying.
The more signs you see, the more secure you are.
Make sure your life is guided by the Scriptures.
And if you have failed the first time, you didn't make it,
try, try again.
Yeah, don't get discouraged. There's so many stories in
the Bible about great men and women who they did
slip and fall, they took their eyes off Christ,
but ask for God's mercy, get back up again,
fix your eyes on Jesus, lay aside every way in the sin
that thus so easily besets you and run the race.
If you stumble, get back up and keep going. Amin!
Ok, next question. Paul wrote in I Timothy 4:4
that we are afraid to protect of any food if eaten
with thankfulness. Why wouldn't that include what
some people's term is "unclean" food?
Well, let's read this together. I Timothy 4:4.
"For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be"
"refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:"
"For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer."
First of all, Paul was talking about the good creatures
that are sanctified by the word of God.
You can't just pray over anything and say
"Now it's sanctified."
It's not prayer only. It's sanctified by the word.
Otherwise you can do marijuana, you can do all kinds of drugs,
you can do...
Most people don't eat marijuana.
No, but you can take it in your body.
but if you ate it, that's good.
Fashion's good for the soul, yet hard on the reputation.
You'll preach your way out of this tonight.
Of course the Bible specifies some things as unclean.
If you take the idea that all you have to do is pray
over something, how many of you are parents?
Or even grandparents? If your children sit down
for breakfast and they start to assemble a banana split
and just baptize it in chocolate and caramel
and they say "This is my breakfast",
you say "That's not a very nutricious breakfast".
"Don't worry, mum, dad, I'm going to ask God to bless it."
Is that how you operate? You just pray over anything
and then if becomes clean, it becomes good?
God is not mocked. What a man sowed,
he's going to reap. So people abuse this Scripture
and that's not what it's saying. It's talking about
things that had been sacrificed to idols.
You didn't need to worry about it if you did not offer it
to an idol. Pray over it. We speak in clean on this.
It's amazing when we're looking to do health studies and
CNN is doing programmes, I think "Good morning, America",
National Geographic's about Adventist and their life span
being longer than others and of course we attribute
that God knew what He was talking about when He said
"Don't eat pork, among other things."
So God's word is sure.
Ok, says kindly just give a few points and witnessing
a searching soul who struggles to believe God is loving
and caring. They ask where is God when so much
starvation and deprivation in our world, it says
innocent babies and children and diseases etc.
So can we believe that God love us?
Good question. I heard this many times.
When people hear that God is love and then they see
so much evil in the world and believing that God
is all-powerful, they think naturally
Why doesn't God stop it? If He is all-powerful
and there is all this suffering and innocent children
and people, maybe He isn't love. Why would He allow it?
They don't understand the great controversy,
that there is a war, this planet has been kidnapped
by an enemy and when they understand that God grieves
more than anyone over the suffering and misery
in the world and the reason He sent His Son is to save us
and give us abundant life, once they understand
that there is a war ranging, it makes a little easier
for them to say "God is love"
and that's why He wants to redeem us from the situation.
The next question says, just happened to be after this,
since God knows the beginning from the end, then why
didn't He just stop Adam and Eve from eating the fruit
and He wouldn't have to give us His Son
and make a planet salvation.
I had some relatives that will remain nameless and
when you went into their house, they had a couple of children.
Instead of teaching the children not to touch things that were
harmful or dangerous or inappropiate to touch
in the house, little ... they had babyproofed their house
so everything was out of their reach.
and they never learned any self-control.
and whenever those children came over to visit a house
that had been baby-proofed, watch out, they just went
bananas, so they grabbed everything they could reach.
God has taught us to love by giving us freedom.
In connection with that, how many of you are parents?
Ok, same group the last time I asked...
When you decided to have children, were any of you living
under the illusion that they would always obey and be good?
Yes... No...
And you still had them.
How many of you entered into that adventure knowing
they might rebel and disobey?
Why? You took a risk.
Because you cannot have real love without freedom.
If God had forced Adam and Eve to obey, that's not real love.
If He didn't give them freedom to make these choices
and we sometimes have to learn from the consequences
of our choices. After this terrible experiment with sin,
and the world is redeemed and recreated,
sin will never rise up again through eternity,
because God has demonstrated His love and His freedom.
This one says "I have friends and family who are not"
"Seventh-day Adventist, they come from a variety"
"of different denominations or denomination backgrounds"
and it says "they're good people, they're very active"
"in their church, they're sure that they love God"
"Do you belive that only Seventh-day Adventist"
"believers will be in heaven?"
You know, one of the things that attracted me to
the Seventh-day Adventist Church, because I was part
of one of these churches whrn I first accepted Christ
and I know from personal experience that there are
spirit-filled godly loving Christians in many different
denomination persuasions. Amin?
You believe that?
Yes.
I think when we get to the kingdom,
we're going to find a whole lot of people there from all
different Christian persuasions that lived up to the light that
God gave them. Now, I am a Seventh-day Adventist,
because I have no choice. Biblically, I am convinced
it is the closest church, I am not talking about the people
I'm talking about the teachings, biblically it is the closest
church to the Bible and my commitment is to Christ
and His word. Nothing personal, but I find a church closer,
that's where I'm going. It's not a family thing for me,
it's not a heritage thing or some clubber loyalty thing,
it's a word thing. There are good people
in many churches and I believe when Jesus comes back
many of those sheep and other ... are going to come together
and take a stand on the word, and there will be
one fold and one shepherd.
Here, David, keep the commandments of God.
- That's right. - Got to have faith in Jesus.
Ok... It says...
I've noticed that .... list further and further away
Well, there is a good reason for that.
In three years we'll just have to be sitting on the floor...
My next... No, I'll just get glasses.
My pride won't let me get glasses, instead I just want
to do this. My next birthday, thank you.
My next birthday ...
I feel like one of ...
Grand slem discount
Yeah, that's right...
You know what? My dream is that I go and ask for
sin citizen discount and they won't give it to me,
because they won't believe me.
The Bible mentions giants and I would like to know
where they came from. Did angels for that matter
evil angels married earthly women to produce giants
on Earth? I haven't heard that question before.
You'd be surprised. A lot of people believe...
How many of you heard this before? Hands...
Genesis chapter 6, verse 1 "And it came to pass, when men"
"began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters"
"were born unto them, That the sons of God saw"
"the daughters of men that they were beautiful; and they"
"took them wives of all whom they chose. And the Lord said,"
"My spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed
"flesh: yet his days will be a hundred and twenty years."
"There were giants on the earth in those days; and also"
"afterward when the sons of God came in unto the daughters"
"of men, and they bore them children; These were mighty men"
"who were of old, men of renown."
The many who read this passage where it says "the sons
of God saw the daughters of men and they thought
"who were they? They must be fallen angels,
that had intimate relantions with humans and the offspring
were these giants. Other churches teach that these sons
of God were aliens, who had intimate relations with humans.
That's fairytales. It's very simple if you read the Bible
to know who the sons of God are. After sin and the fall,
Adam and Eve had two principal sons, Cain and Abel.
Cain killed Abel, God gave Adam and Eve other son, Seth.
In the image of his father, Seth worshipped the true God,
Cain turned his back on God and went away from God,
from the presence of the Lord. The descendants of Cain were
called "the sons of man". Their treasure was this world.
The sons of Seth were the children of God,
the sons of God. The Bible says, I John, chapter 3, verse 1
"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed"
"upon us, that we should be called the sons of God."
Isaiah refers to the same as the sons and daughters of God.
So, it simply means that as long as they were distinct,
God's people were godly, but when they began to notice
the daughters of Cain were, good-looking, the sons of God
were unequally yoked with the daughters of men,
the daughters of Cain, that's when the earth was then filled
with wickedness and it leads in the same "my spirit will not"
"strive with man, I'm going to destroy the earth."
Through intermarriage, they lost their distinction.
It has nothing to do with aliens and fallen angels.
Jesus is clear about angels. They don't even marry
each other, whetherlong humans.
I mean, there are all kinds of teachings out there.
So, now you might say why would they have giants?
It's a simple law genetics, called genetic vitality.
It is often true that you get a superior breed,
maybe even a bigger breed through breeding a new
genetic vitality. How many of you are aware of that?
just from any of you involved ...
Somebody should tell my parents that I didn't get very tall.
What are you laughing at?
I'm really much taller than Danny, I'm just concentrated.
You know what? If he won't mind by using him as an example,
John Loma's mother is Filipino, his father is Afro-american
His mum was like 4 feet tall, he's a giant.
Genetic vitality.
Ok, one last question. What should be the Christian's
role in politics and how do we balance faith in politics?
Carefully. First of all, remember as a Christian
you are an ambassador, not of some political party here,
but of another kingdom. So, your first political alligence
is a representative of Christ's kingdom.
Now, in a culture where we have freedom and we are able to be
involved in voting policy, Christian should,
now you don't have to become so preoccupied with it,
you forget your first calling for the kingdom of God,
I know some Christians who get so preoccupied with politics,
that it's like their kingdom is down here,
but you should vote for those things, I believe
that are in support of the priciples of Christ.
If you're silent, if the righteous are silent,
then the only ones who vote will be the wicked.
Isn't that right? And so there is a place for them.
But you want to be bounced. Politics are very volatile thing
if you become so political, you can't reach people
from the other party.
Thank you very much you're getting the message.
Before the offering, we've got a special offer.
We'd like to make an offer to you.
The gift book tonight, every night we're giving away
a gift book. If you've missed it on a previous night,
you can go to the website. It is very simple
O5revive.com and the offer for tonight's book is
something written by.. if you're truly to see the King
Seven Steps to Salvation and it's based on the conversion
of Isaiah as a platform of understanding the new birth.
It's offer #175. Free, if you want to call in
1-866-905-7384 and request and it will be happy
to send it to you.
We are having an offering tonight for those who are here
in the hall, we have an envelope that should be in your seat.
Some of you who are watching online, if you would like
to help with the expenses, you can make a donation
there online. This has been something of an amazing fact,
since 3ABN have come together. We've just stepped out in faith
and we hope that if you believe and you've been blessed
that you'll support what's happened and help us
to continue doing this work. Those who are gathering
in your groups, their expenses connected with your groups
and may be preparing now in your churches to receive
an offering. We hope that you'll support them.
If anyone here doesn't have an envelope,
you can just hold your hand up.
Please, whatever the offer is, put it in the envelope.
It makes it a little easier for those collecting.
As the ... come forward, again we're going to be blessed
by some music. Tommy and Danny.
And the song is "Mending Broken People".
About 20 years ago, when we were just starting a new
ministry called 3 Angels Broadcasting Network,
some people, literally there was a knock on my door
about 9 or 10 o'clock one night, some folk that I knew said
"we've heard the new song. It reminds us of what you"
"wanted to do in your ministry and we thought you may want"
"this and you want to sing it." I think they might listen
to the song and we've been singing it off and on
and used it as a theme song for a number of years.
"Mending Broken People"
When I see my brother stumble and hold hs dreams come...
Let me be there For I'm too frail
And when I see his heart breaking
From a wrong term piece taking
Let me be there For I remember well
I want to spend my life mending broken people
I want to spend my whole life removing pain
Lord, let my words Heal a heart that hurts
I want to spend my life mending broken people
When I see a life that's broken,
Lord, give me words that should be spoken,
For I remember the pain
And when I see teardrops falling
Lord, bring my ... I call you
Help me, restore their faith in You
I want to spend my life mending broken people
I want to spend my whole life removing pain
Lord, let my words Heal a heart that hurts
I want to spend my life mending broken people
Amin!
Amin! Thank you very much, Tommy and Danny.
It's not fair that much talent in one family, is it?
Welcome again, if anyone has just joined us
watching on TV to the Drawing Near 05 programme,
05 Revive and tonight I really want to focus
on I think it is the axle of the whole gospel.
The cross is the axle upon which the planet's
salvation rotates. Everything centers in the cross.
Paul said "I am determined to know nothing among you"
"except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified."
I thought that it was very appropriate that we fix
our eyes on Christ and the cross tonight in a special sense
and that we all draw near to God.
What's the promise? If we draw near to God,
He might, He could, He may He WILL draw near to us.
Your watching, your coming is an act
of drawing near to God and I trust that He will keep
His promise and bless you.
Would you pray with me again as we direct
our attention to the word?
Dear Lord, this is our desire through these programmes
to both revive and to mend broken people.
Lord, we're all broken and we know that Jesus is
the answer to not only repair, glue, but recreate our hearts.
I pray Lord as we tonight fix our eyes on Jesus.
As we look to the cross, we will be transformed
by beholding His glory. Please, be with me as I speak
I pray that I will be emptied of self and Christ can be seen
and heard. In His name we ask, Amin.
We have been using different stories in the Bible
sort of a spring... to better understand revival
in the gospel, going back and forth between the New
and the Old Testament and tonight we will be going
to the New Testament and it's the story that you find
only in the gospel of Luke, where the thieves were
crucified with Christ on the right and the left hand
and one of them calls out for salvation.
Before we turn there, I want to begin with verse ...
Galatians, chapter 2, verse 20:
"I have been crucified with Christ: it is no longer I who"
"live, but Christ lives in me: and the life that I now live"
"in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God,"
"who loved me, and He gave himself for me."
"I have been crucified with Christ."
It's amazing you can mark Christianity at all,
because you would think that would be a negative
or antiproductive marketing slogan.
"Come, follow Jesus and be crucified."
And I think because of that there are even some churches
that are trying to change the gospel's message
and say "Come, follow Jesus and be healthy, wealthy and wise."
That's not really the message of Christ.
The message of Christ is "if you will lose your life"
"and be crucified with me, you'll be born again,"
"you'll live a new life, but you've got to trust me."
"You will have to deny yourself."
"Take up your cross and follow me."
That's when you really begin to live.
I remember hearing about in 1973, Patrice Tamao,
in the Dominican Republic, on national television,
willingly was crucified. His goal was to stand
on the cross for 48 hours and they took three-six inches
stainless steel nails and they crucified him.
It was supposed to be for the unity of all mankind.
I'm not sure how that factored in.
After about 18 hours, some infection set in,
the pain was unbearable and they had him taken down.
I've been to the Philippines before where each year,
especially during the Easter season, they want to reenact
the passion of Christ and sometimes they go on the street
they ... themselves and yes, even in some islands,
though the government officially is opposed to this,
they actually do go through with crucifixion.
Willingly.
Is that what Jesus is asking us to do?
Well, you know, to better understand what is meant
by being crucified with Christ, I think it's a good idea to look
at the examples in the Bible of those who were crucified
with Christ. So turn with me to the gospel of Luke,
chapter 23. We'll begin with verse 32.
Luke, 23:32. It's telling us about, of course,
the crucifixion, when Jesus was crucified for you and me.
"And there were two other criminals, led with him to be"
"put to death. And when they were come to the place,"
"which is called Calvary, there they crucified him,"
"and the criminals, one on the right hand,"
"and the other on the left."
It's stated almost without comment. Evidently,
it was such a common practice in the Roman Empire
that Luke just neededn't to explain what happened,
assuming that all the readers back there would know,
because it was a very common form of execution
in the Roman Empire, but it seems like it's just stated
as a matter of fact they crucified Him
between two criminals. You can read in the book
"Desire of Ages", it was at the request of the priests
that Jesus be crucified right in the middle.
In other prophecy, in Isaiah said that "the Messiah will be"
"numbered with the transgressors for us."
If I was going to entitle the sermon today,
I would call it "Hanging on a promise",
because one of those two thieves finds everlasting life
and that's what happens. He must hang his faith
on the promise in the world of Christ.
Crucified between two thieves. The scene of the crucifixion
was not pretty and you wonder sometimes what angels must
think, because the cross is actually an instrument
of torture and execution. Can you imagine, for instance,
a church that had as its logo an electric chair?
Or a syringe for a lethal injection?
The cross, when you think about it, is not pretty,
I meant it is a simple symbol that we look at and it means
so much, but we're never told to wear the cross
or to paint the cross, we're told to bear the cross.
The theme of the cross is one of self-denial.
The theme of the cross is one of
"God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son"
and the Son gave himself.
It's Jesus saying "not my will will be done",
willing to experience separation from the Father
that you and I might be saved.
The cross is a place where soldiers cursed and gambled,
there was mocking, there was blood, there was sweat,
there were flies, it wasn't pretty.
It was ugly, because the cross was a picture of a serpent
on a ..., the cross was a picture of sin
and Jesus suffering for the sins of the world.
It's not supposed to be pretty, because when you and I
look at the cross, we should see something about
Christ is there in our place. Keep in mind the reasons
they had three crosses prepared that day.
It's because they had already planned an execution,
it just so happened. Maybe the priest knew this.
It just so happened that the Romans had arrested
three rebels, Barabas being the leader
and they had fashioned their three crosses that day
and they had scheduled them execution.
Pilate did not want to execute Jesus.
As a matter of fact, probably while Barabas was standing there
and Pilate was comparing Christ to Barabas,
the thieves, Barabas' partners were there too and they
may even heard when Pilate said "I find no fault in Him."
"Who do you want? It's my custom to let one go free."
"Who do you want? You want Jesus who is called"
"the Christ, he thought that of course we do not want"
"to crucify our Messiah or do you want Barabas,"
"obviously a hardened criminal, a rebel, a murderer, a thief?"
Under the inspiration of the religious leaders
and demons, they said "Give us Barabas!"
"Crucifiy Jesus!" Now, when you think about that,
Jesus did not die on His cross, He took someone else's place.
Do you know whose place He took?
Barabas', but more specifically, yours, mine.
He died on my cross. You and I are Barabas.
And those two thieves that He died between,
they were guilty of the Bible says "rebellion, insurrection"
"stealing and murder."
And you and I are like those two thieves.
Jesus was crucified between those two thieves,
one on the right, one on the left.
It doesn't say, but I would like to speculate that
the one who is saved is the one on the right,
just because, you know, the sheep on the right hand,
the goats on the left. I can't prove that,
but you can't prove me wrong, so I am going to say it.
And like those thieves, we're guilty of rebellion, in murder,
I'm not just talking about the blood of Christ,
Jesus said that if you're angry with your brother without cause,
you're guilty of murder. And thieves, I'm not even
just talking about the tieds and offerings of what God calls
us robbers, if we're unfaithful, but He's giving you talents,
and ability and time and we've squandered like that
prodigal son. Those two thieves represent all of mankind.
One was saved and one was not
and they were both hopeless to save themselves.
Look at the comparisons here. Both guilty of rebellion, murder
and stealing, they could do nothing to save themselves
in hanging helpless and naked. Both had an opportunity
to be saved, because they were right next to Jesus.
Jesus was very closed to them both,
but one will be in the kingdom and one will not.
And everybody here, everybody watching,
you are going to follow the example of one of the other.
Let's get back to our story. So Jesus is crucified between
these two thieves. He dies on a cross that really belonged
to somebody else, that they might go free.
He treated places with Barabas.
Back to Luke chapter 23, it says here in verse 36,
I'm sorry verse 34: "Jesus said as they crucified Him,"
"Father forgive them for they do not know what they do."
Now the thieves were watching when Jesus said that
and prayed that prayer and the Roman soldiers that
had probably participated in crucifixions before,
were used to the thieves riving and fighting and wrestling
and cursing as the painful process of crucifixion
was enacted. But instead Jesus willingly complies,
He does not resist, something like Isaac laying down
on the altar for Abraham. And not only that, He offers
a prayer on behalf of those who were tormenting Him.
And they probably were not stainless steel sterilized
nails. "Father, forgive them". And even in the midst
of his own suffering, one of the thieves heard that
and it registered that is really unusual.
One of the true test of a Christian is the ability
to love their enemies. Let's face it,
a lot of people who take the name of Christ,
don't even love their spouses.
I think it's interesting in the Bible it says
"love your enemies and love your neighbour."
Someone brought to our attention that it's often
your neighbour that becomes your enemy.
Could be. That's why the Lord said "you got to learn"
"to love your ... brother, even if it's your enemy."
"And the people divided His garments and cast lots"
"and the people keep stood looking on, but even"
"the rulers with them sneared said, He saved others"
"Himself He cannot save, if He is Christ, the chosen of God."
These thieves were listening as they heard them mocking.
They saw the sign that Pilate had nailed above His head.
Often the offence of the criminal was there put
above the head when someone was crucified and instead
of saying "this person is a murderer", "this person"
"is a rebel, a thief", as they had above thier heads
the thieves, above Christ's head "Jesus Christ"
or "Jesus of Nazareth, king of the Jews."
Now, that really disturbed the religious leaders.
They said "Change that, Pilate, don't put that up there."
"That's been our problem all along. He's claiming to be"
"the king of the Jews. Take it down."
And finally Pilate developed some backbone and he said
"what I've written, I've written."
Amin!
And here it goes on to say, verse 39
"Then one of the criminals, who were hanged, meaning
"crucified with them, blasphemed Him saying,"
"If you are the Christ, save yourself and us."
Now, to be fair, I should let you know that when
the crucifixion first happened, Jesus was on the cross
for seven hours. Did you know that?
That's interesting. Six hours alive, one hour dead resting.
Seven hours on the cross, from the 3rd hour to the 9th hour.
You can count it. Then He gave up the ghost.
One hour took for Joseph to get permission from Pilate
to take his body down.
Six hours suffering for our sins, one hour resting
from His work of saving mankind. Interesting.
But, when He was first crucified, Matthew tells us
both thieves joined in mocking around the cross.
Sort of a combination of pleading in mocking.
You notice, even this thief is saying
"If you are the Christ, save us."
The problem is he said "if". You cannot be saved with an "if".
A father came to Jesus one day and he said
"Lord, if you can do anything, help my son."
And Jesus arrested him right on the spot and said
"If you believe all things are possible, don't say if."
The way that Jesus was able to identify this counterfeit angel
in the wilderness when the Devil was tempting Him,
is Satan said "if you're the son of God,"
"turn these stones into bread." Jesus knew who he was.
No angel would say "if". They live by faith.
When you come to Christ, the Bible says
"He that comes to God, must believe that He is"
"and He is the reward of them the diligently seek Him."
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
Dilligently seek Him. You can't say "if".
Everybody's got an "if". Even Pilate and what is truth.
We must overcome our doubts and believe that Christ is
who He says He is.
And by the way, desperation has a way of strengthening
the faith. So, after this thief says "if you are the Christ"
"save yourself and us," the other answered rebuking Him.
No, I can't help imagine that there around the cross
that day, as these thieves began to enter into the dialogue,
that the crown around them grew silent.
And you're not even sure if most of the apostles heard this,
because it's not in the other gospels, it's only in Luke's
gospel and it might be because Luke interviewed Mary
and Mary was at the foot of the cross.
And everybody grew quiet. The Bible says the other
apostles stood far off and this thief, he answered
his comrad, he rebuked him. Evidently, there was some
sarcasm in his voice, he says "Do you not even fear God?"
"See that you're under the same condemnation?"
Right that thief did not fear man and there was nothing
more that Man can do to him. There is something very
eliberating about being crucified with Christ,
because it means that you .. the self and you do not care
anymore of what people think of you, all you care
is what God think of you. Amin!
He didn't say "Aren't you afraid of the crowd?",
he said "Don't you fear God. It's God you will stand for."
The prophet said "Prepare to meet your God"
and here this thief is soon going be standing before God,
he said "Aren't you afraid of God?"
"Don't you have any reverence?"
"We're getting what we deserve. You are under the same"
"condemnation? And we indeed justly for we're receiving"
"the due rewards for our deeds."
You notice what's happening here? He's confessing.
He's repenting. So often I've heard about
bizarre of Russia. One day I went to visit the prison.
.... had the power to part everybody in the prison
and when his big self filled with male prisoners,
they saw ... passing by and his wife ...robes,
they all ran up and they went to the bars and they said
"Your highness I'm innocent, I don't deserve this,"
"I shouldn't be here, I was falsely accused."
defending themselves and ... looked past all of these
pleading criminals and there was one man that was sort of
sitting by himself in a corner and he elbowed the guard,
he said "Call that man over." And the guard called over
the man who was sitting off by himself, he said:
"Why are you here?" He said "I stole a horse."
And ... said to the guard "Let that man out. I don't"
"want him be in a bad influence among all these innocent men."
So often we say
"I don't deserve what's happening to him. I'm innocent,"
God can't begin to work with us until we acknowledge
our guilt and repent. This man, you'll notice, this thief, goes
through all of the steps of repentance.
And if you are wondering what are the steps of salvation
and there are steps. It's a free offer that we mentioned
earlier, "Seven Steps to Salvation to See the King".
We'll send it to you. We want you to know that,
we want you to take those steps.
We're getting what we deserve. We indeed justly, we're getting
"the due reward for our deeds." And by the way, everybody
will ultimately get the due reward for their deeds,
isn't that what the Bible teaches?
I've periodically get greeded by friends who say
"Well, Doug, how're things going?"
And I say "better than I deserve and I don't want"
"what I deserve." I want grace, not what I deserve.
How about you? You have two choices:
you can be rewarded according to your deeds or His deeds.
I want to be rewarded according to Christ's deeds, not mine.
There's only two choices, those two thieves,
one on the right, one on the left.
"We indeed justly for we receive the due reward for our deeds,"
"but this man has done nothing wrong."
You heard Pilate say "I find no fault in Him."
He had heard about the ministry of Christ, everybody had,
all the way from Herod, Pilate down to the poorest pauper,
they all have heard about Jesus and his ministry, this thief
had heard and you read in the book "Desire of Ages"
he had been drawn towards Christ, but because
of the influence of evil association, he fell deeper
into his life of sin. Choose your friends very carefully,
because you often share their destiny.
My father used to say "If you sleep with dogs, you get fleas."
You've got to be careful who you're hanging around with.
"Then he said to Jesus,"
"Lord, remember me, when you come into your kingdom."
That simple statement that begins with the word "Lord"
and ends with the word "your kingdom."
Something like a Lord's prayer, isn't it?
Everybody around the cross was mocking Jesus that day
to hear a thief of all things look at Jesus and say
"Lord, what faith that was.
Let me go ahead and just read this for you.
"As soon as He said that, Jesus said, I will surely say to you,"
"today you will be with me in paradise."
Now, I need to address that for a second, because
some people read that and because of the way the comma
is placed in that verse, they think that it means that
that day that thief was with Jesus in paradise.
That's not what it means at all. That's an example in the Bible
where some of the translators, not the Scriptures,
but the translators of the King James version,
there is no punctuation in the original,
they misplaced the punctuation there.
The reason you know that is because you go to the Gospel
of John, chapter 21 and when Mary is clinging to Jesus' feet,
He says "Do not detain me, for I have not yet ascended"
"to my Father" and the Bible says the Father is in paradise.
So, if Christ did not go to be with the Father Friday afternoon
in paradise, how could that thief be that day
with Jesus in paradise? Right?
And the Bible says Christ rose after three days
and we don't even know if that thief managed to die
until sundown, because they tried to accelerate his death
and that's when the day would have ended.
So some people have built a whole theology on
as soon as you die, you go to the Lord, because of this verse
it doesn't say that at all.
It makes a big difference where you put the comma.
I know we have a lot of friends who are watching, that means
not be aware of this, so let me illustrate this with the story
very quickly. Back in the days of the telegraph and the steam
chip, a man allowed his wife to go to Paris for a vacation
took months back then and she would telegram him
every now and then and at one point she was shopping
and she found a beautiful minko or the equivalent
and she ..., I almost said emailed, she telegrammed
her husband and you used to have to pay for every letter.
Do you remember Western Union? You used to pay for every
letter, it cost so much every space.
And she said "Found minko. 1000$. Would like to buy."
He got the message and he wrote back "No price too high."
So, she went ahead and she bought the minko.
And when she steps off the ship and he meets her,
he sees this stunning minko and after he greets her,
he tries to ask her why is it you bought the minko?
Didn't you get my telegram? She says "Yes, I got your"
"telegram and it said "No price too high."
Thank you, dear, you're so wonderful.
And he said "No, it said, price too high"
Misplaced comma gives a total different meaning.
Now what does this verse mean? Think about this for a second.
That thief had said to Jesus "Lord, remember me when"
that day looked to Jesus and said "Lord".
What did Jesus look like that day?
Did he have a crown and a royal robe?
He had a crown of thorns and his back had been threaded
by a whip, he was virtually naked, hanging there,
cleavering. To call someone like that, a "lord" and to apply
them ahead a kingdom to offer you, that took faith.
And so, when Jesus saw the incredible faith of this
perishing thief, he turned him and he said "I am telling you"
"today". You got it? He said "I am telling you today",
today because you've spoken up for me when no one else did.
Today, because I don't look like a king, I don't look like
a lord, I don't look like I've got a kingdom,
today I'm making you a promise and you can hang in faith
with that promise "that you will be with me in paradise."
You got it? "Verily I say to you today", I'm telling you now,
"you will be with me in paradise." He didn't go
to paradise with Jesus that day, because Jesus didn't even
go to paradise that day.
No, I'd like to say that if you read the other verses
it's very clear. He had not yet ascended to His Father.
Now, when you think about it, this thief went through all
of the steps of salvation. He saw Jesus lifted up as
the spotless lamb and he believed. What is the first
step in salvation? We must see the Lord.
Isaiah saw the Lord and that was the beginning of his conversion.
Christ said "if I am lifted up, I will draw..."
What brought about the conversion of Paul?
He saw the Lord. What brought about the conversion
of Zacharias? He saw the Lord. And the repentance appeared.
He saw the Lord. You see Him in His goodness,
and the goodness of God helps us become aware
of our own badness and that leads to repentance.
He repented and he publicly confessed on the cross.
He didn't ask for mercy. Remember me, forgive me.
He publicly testified, in spite of all the mocking and ridicule
around that cross, He didn't care that was not popular
to be a believer. Are you willing to stand up for Christ
when others are mocking? And he was crucified with Christ.
He definitely did take up his cross and followed Christ
and he was crucified with Christ. What was it that
brought about his faith that day?
How could he have that kind of faith?
Was it just blind desperate faith?
I believe there was evidence. Of course, there was
the statement of Pilate "I found no fault in Him."
He probably heard that, he heard Jesus say
"Father, forgive them", he saw the sign above His head,
"this is the King of the Jews" and the evidence of what
he had heard even maybe some around the foot of the cross
were recounting his wonderful deeds that day, faith was born
within him and the Holy Spirit stirred his heart and he
realized that he was hanging just a few inches away from
the dynamo of salvation. And you what he did?
He reached out in faith. Jesus could not touch him
with His hands and he could not touch Jesus,
but through the word of his prayer,
you've noticed neither of them could touch each other,
they were both separated by their imprisonments.
One asks, the other promises. How are we saved?
By the word. You ask, you draw near to God
with your prayers, He draws near with His promise.
and then he claimed it and he hung his faith on that.
If you would ever have everlasting life, you need
to take up your cross daily and follow me,
be willing to deny yourself. It's not easy.
and our crosses are all a little different.
I remember one time I was buying some of my f.. clothing
.... and I saw a man who was wearing a big Christian T-shirt,
very obvious Christian T-shirt and I was always looking
for some opportunity to talk about the Lord,
even when the housekeeper came into my room, here in town,
the other day and I said "How are you doing?",
she said "Blessed, I kicked it on that."
I said "Are you a Christian?" "Yes."
"Here I've got a DVD for you." I gave her a final... a DVD.
I'm always looking. I've got a little radar looking for people
who might be believers, but who do not know the whole truth,
they are just tocommiserate with other believers.
So, he's got a T-shirt. I said "Oh, you're a Christian."
"Yeah. It's always a T-shirt." and somehow he let me know
what he was doing in town. He was carrying a cross
around the country, witnessing for Christ.
He was a very energetic excited believer,
but I thought it was interesting when he told me,
he said "Yeah, I've been doing this for years ago,"
"cross country, different towns and I witness for Christ"
"and I give away tracks and I carry a cross."
He said "When I first started doing it", I thought this was
very interesting, "I wanted to do it just like Christ,"
"I got a wooden cross and would drag it up the street,"
He said he got lots of attention, but the problem was
"as I went down the pavement, it actually sanded the base"
"of the cross, it got shorter and shorter."
"So I made a wheel and I had a little training wheel"
"on the back of the cross and it created less friction."
"Then I started getting calluses and occasionally even"
"a splinter on my shoulder, so I padded it."
"By having been doing this for so long,"
"I found that I could get an aluminum cross,"
"that's much lighter, get the same effect for advertising,"
"but it wasn't very heavy and I started to think"
"Well, you know, that's something like how"
"some Christians want to follow Jesus." They say
"Lord, I am willing to take up my cross and follow you."
"Can I have one with a wheel and a pad, made of aluminum?"
That's not the way it always works, is it?
Some of you have crosses and it might be cheerful
in spite of the debilitating health problems and pain.
It's a cross. Paul said "I've got a thorn in the side"
"I pray to God He didn't take it away."
"My strength is made perfect in weakness."
Some of you ...your cross might be the place where God
has put you to work. There could be real trials there.
Some people have crosses in their family, but they've
made a commitment to Jesus.
All have different kind of crosses. Some people die
for their faiths still in different parts of the world.
I remember hearing about a minister that was talking
to a Christian friend and they just completed the new church
and passed to standing back out in the l...
and points up to the cross and he says
"That cross up there, that cost $10,000."
And his friend elbowed him and he said "You got cheated."
"There was a day when Christians got them for free."
That's right. There used to be Christians that would accept
Christ knowing that it might cost them their lives.
How much do you love Jesus? Do you love Him so much
that you would not only be willing to die for Him,
but will you deny yourself?
Some people say "Well, I think I love Jesus,"
"I'd die for Him." In some cases, it's easier to think
about dying for Christ than living for Him.
As a matter of fact, in my quiet moments, I've thought
"Lord, it's sometimes very hard following You and it might be"
"easier if I just got killed for my faith, suddenly."
You've come up this fantasies where someone puts a gun
to me and says "if you confess you believe in Jesus,"
"I'm going to shoot you!" and I thought what an easy way out.
But the Lord said "No, Dug, I'm not asking you right now"
"to die for Me, I'd rather have you live for Me."
Deny yourself daily and take up your cross.
Crucifixion isn't only about the nails,
He had to bear his cross to the place.
There is a walk involved in being a Christian.
and taking up your cross and following Christ
means you follow Him to your crucifixion.
Those two thieves represent all of humanity.
Everybody wants to be saved, but some don't believe.
We're all guilty. Only a crucified church
can take a crucified saviour to the world.
Those who take the name of Christ need to stop playing
games and take the cross also, be willing to deny ourselves.
If nothing else but the cross does for us, it helps us
understand how lethal sin really is.
Sin is deadly and I can't help wonder that if we
could be transported back to the sin of the cross
and really see what Jesus went through for us,
the suffering, all the way from the garden of Getsemani
to the moment when He said it was finished
and know that everything that He was experiencing,
He was doing in our place, trading places with us.
I think it would be easier for us to deny ourselves.
The little indulgences we think we deserve, the compromises
with sin that we make, realizing that each one of them
wounds Him. There is no such thing as little sin
and if we are really going to be Christians, then we need
to understand what it means, to ask God to give us
the victory that we can be a people who will deny
ourselves and take up our cross and follow Him.
You noticed it says "deny ourselves daily".
Paul said "I die daily."
Die thyself, but thank goodness, you don't stay dead.
You die thyself, but then you're born again.
The old person, the old man is dead, they don't ...
a selfish person and you believe it or not, it is really
eliberating when you come to a place and you say
"I'm not going to live for myself."
When I walk in with Christ and I'd like to tell you right now,
I always remember to die everyday, I know,
but I know that the days that with the grace of the Lord
I'm able to deny myself and be crucified with Christ,
it is a lot easier, believe it or not.
The Bible says "He that is dead, is freed from sin."
Romans, chapter 6.
Have you ever seen a dead person, getting offended at
a funeral because of something said during the service?
Sit up and say "how dare you?"
They don't care about what you say.
Dead people aren't offended.
I hear periodically there are a few dishonest morticians
that might rob the jewelry off the corpse.
Dead people never complain.
When the Lord says "I want you to give,"
you say "Lord, it's your money, I'm dead."
It's a lot easier. It's when we're living for self,
that we have these struggles.
Let me share something with you.
This is a quote many of you have heard before.
I want to transport you back to the sins of the cross.
"The spotless Son of God hung upon the cross,"
"His flesh lacerated with stripes, those hands so often"
"reached out in blessing, nailed to the wooden bars;"
"those feet so tireless on ministries of love,"
"spiked to the tree, that royal head pierced by the crown"
"of thorns, those quivering lips shaped to the cry of woe;"
"And all that He endured - the blood drops that flowed"
"from His head, His hands, His feet, the agony that"
"racked His frame, and the unutterable anguish that"
"filled His soul at the hiding of His Father's face"
"it speaks to each child of humanity, declaring"
"It is for thee that the Son of God consents to bear"
"the burden of guilt; for thee, He spoils a domain of death,"
"and opens the gates of Paradise. He who stilled"
"the angry waves and walked the foam-capped billows,"
"who made devils tremble and disease flee, who opened blind"
"eyes and called forth the dead to life. He offers upon"
"the cross as a sacrifice, and this from love to thee."
And if you can go back and see that all that He's going
through, He's going through for you.
You know, sometimes I think we forget we see Jesus
die for the sins of the world and we forget that really
what it means is He died for me. He died for my sins.
It's not just general. He would have gone through it
just for that one thief and He would have gone
through it just for you. Isn't that amazing,
if anything I've been trying to essentuate this week,
how God uses humble means. Who was it that called Him
"Lord" and "King" at the crucifixion?
It wasn't Peter, James and John.
There were cowering from a distance.
John ultimately came closer with Mary, but I don't believe
he ever spoke. It was a thief. And you know what?
It makes you want to go "Yeah". All the religious leaders
one reason they're crucifying Jesus is because He claimed
that He had the power to forgive sin and one last time,
they're on the cross, they could nail His hands
to the cross, but they couldn't keep the Savior from saving.
Amin.
Even though He was experiencing agony and pain that you and I
cannot comprehend and the separation from the Father,
His purpose for coming was to seek and to save the lost,
and while He was there, when He heard a sincere call
for help, He was able to put aside all of His own anguish,
and think about someone else. He didn't say
"Look, don't bother me. Can't you see I'm busy?"
That was His business. And even though His hands were
nailed to the cross, the Devil couldn't keep Him from saving
and in front of everybody listening, He promised him
forgiveness and Paradise. He said "You will be with Me."
Now, even after we accept Christ, a peace will come over
our souls and in many cases, God reverses the bad decisions
that we've made, but you must not count on that,
even though that thief heard Jesus say "Today, I want to"
"promise you, you're going to be with Me in Paradise."
I think, you know, there was darkness around that cross at
that time, as a matter of fact, you can read this in the book
"Desire of Ages", there was a break in the clouds and a light
radiated down on the scene. It was as though the approval
of the Father could not be held back, affirmation of the promise
of Jesus and some beams of light broke through and shone down
on that thief, confirming the promise of Christ.
The nails didn't pop up, but I believe a peace transformed
his expression. After you accept Christ and you take up
your cross, it doesn't mean all your circumstances are
going to instantly change. Salvation is not about changing
all of your circumstances, it's changing your attitude
about your circumstances. It is the difference between
joy and misery. There is a great peace that comes into
our hearts, that makes it so much easier to follow Christ.
Paul said "I would rejoice in my following."
but he didn't come down right away.
He did still have to suffer.
I remember, I think it was 1998, here in Texas.
Anyone remembers the name Karla Fey Tucker?
This gowl who was convicted of a brutal murder
on accomplice with her boyfriend in a brutal murder
was given the death sentence and during the long period of
time that people typically are in death row, she experienced,
she was on drugs when she committed the murder,
she experienced the very obvious and dramatic conversion.
Of course, a lot of people who are imprisoned will articulate
that they had their heart changed before the .....,
but when I heard the interviews and saw some of the testimony,
I was convinced that she really did have a conversion experience
and she knew the Lord. I know only God knows the heart,
but it did impress me that way. And then all these people
began to campaign for her to get a pardon or to have
the sentence commuted to life, but don't go through with
the death penalty and I'm not making this statement
to take a stand on any political view right now,
but when the courts reviewed her case, they said because
a person professes Christ, it doesn't automatically change
the circumstances and when all the appeals were denied,
the camera crew was granted one final interview and she
still had her peace. She said "This is in God's hands."
and her final messages were messages of encouragement
and love and support, apologizing to the families
and encouraging everybody and thanking everybody
and she said "Don't worry about me, my next conscious"
"thought is going to be the presence of the Lord."
Amin.
Her circumstances didn't change. Now, it's important that if
we're going to talk about the thief on the cross,
I also take a moment to warn you about a very dangerous
mistake that many people make.
It's called "the eleventh hour conversion."
There are many people who in their hearts say
"I want to serve Jesus and I know that the Bible is true"
"and I believe in the planet's salvation, but the pull"
"of the world in sin is so overwhelming that I'm going"
"to see if I can time this, so that before I die,"
"I repent of my sins and give my heart to the Lord."
That's a really dangerous way we live.
It's been my experience of people I know, who have gambled
that they would have some eleventh hour conversion,
something happens in their life or maybe they're not given
any warning, they die instantly or because of their sickness
and the drugs they're given for their sickness, they don't
even have the mental capacity to repent.
It is a very dangerous thing to presume on the mercy
of God and to gamble with eternity and beyond that
why would you want to give God the leftovers?
Everyday that you wait to repent is one more
day to repent off and one less day to repent in.
Someone asked a rabbi one time what is the best time to repent.
The rabbi said "The last day of your life".
And they said "What if you don't know what day that is?"
He said "Exactly."
Today if you here this voice do not harden your hearts.
The story of the thief on the cross is a wonderful story,
because it's telling us that he was able to simply look
to Christ. It didn't matter how guilty he was at that moment.
He was convicted of his sin, he saw Christ lifted up for him,
praying for the forgiveness of others, he knew that
included him, seeing that He was the King of the Jews,
maybe his mind had been stirred with some things that he heard
as a good little boy in Sabbath school.
They used to go to Sabbath schools, you know.
They heard the prophecies of Isaiah. He read in the Psalms
"they pierced my hands and my feet, they divided my garments"
"among them" and the Holy Spirit maybe illuminated his mind
and he realized that the mocking around the cross and all these
things that I see, these things were in the Scripture.
The Scriptures that he had heard and read,
the Holy Spirit can bring those things back, can he?
And he looked to Jesus and he believed,
but it's not enough just to look and believe.
He repented, he confessed, he asked, he received.
I wonder what must have been going through his mind,
as he hung there. Three more hours went by
from the moment that he accepted Christ and he
had the promise of Jesus that he would be in Paradise.
He was there when eventually some...
he saw the sky grow dark. You know when Christ said
"It is finished.", there is a great earthquake.
He felt his cross shaking, he was being rattled
back and forth up there, like a mast in a storm.
He felt that. He heard the Roman soldiers at the foot
of the cross say "Surely, this was the Son of God."
He was still alive at that point.
Then evetually he sees a few Roman soldiers coming.
They got some tools. He knows what this means.
Sometimes they needed to accelerate the death process
and they would take an iron and a mallet, a bar,
they had a pedestal there they would rest their feet on,
because you could not breath without pushing down
and they would break their legs. They didn't want the bodies
on the cross, they're in Passover.
So, they went to the first thief, on the left I'm going
to say, I don't know that, but you can't prove me wrong,
and broke his legs and it wasn't long after that he asphyxiated,
because he just can't... your breathing is so shallow
that eventually you suffocate. And then, they checked on Jesus
and they said "It looks like He's dead."
"No need breaking his leg. Not moving." And just to be sure,
because they also said "you do not what to get in trouble"
"with Pilate", he took his sharp Roman spear and he jabbed it
into the side of Christ. John records that from His
side came two distinct flows, one of water, one of blood,
They say the reason that happens is when a person,
when their heart ruptures, the fluid in the blood separates.
Christ died from a broken heart.
There in the pericardium, he pierced His heart.
I heard a minister say one time "Adam went to sleep,"
"God opened his side and brought out his wife."
Christ went to sleep, God opened His side and out came
the church. The church was born and he saw that.
And then the soldiers came to him and broke his legs.
I think it is a wonderful story of salvation, friends,
at the cross. Everything is about the cross.
At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light.
When you see, it's at the cross
you see the Devil's love for power and it's at the cross
you see Christ's power of love. It's the crucible in which
the planet's salvation is demonstrated.
We should spend a thoughtful hour every day contemplating
the sins of the cross, because that's where you're going
to see the love of God for you. Why do we love Him?
We cannot obey Him unless we love Him.
Why do we love Him? Because He first loved us.
Where do we see the love of God best demonstrated?
At the cross.
And yes, it's not a pretty scene, neither a sin.
God wants you to know how much sin hurts Him and it hurts you.
Whenever you're tempted to sin, instead of thinking about
that moment carrying pleasure, whether it's the lust
of the flesh or the lust of the eyes or the pride of life,
I want you to think about the cross.
That's why Paul kept the cross before him.
He knew that Jesus died for him, on his cross.
You and I are Barabas. He took his place.
He paid a debt that He did not owe.
He took our weakness, He gives us His strength.
He took our guilt and He gives us His innocence.
He took our sin, He gives us His purity.
He gives us a new heart at the cross.
It's the goodness of God that leads us to repentance.
Where do you see the goodness of God?
At the cross.
I heard a story one time about... in England years ago,
a policeman was walking his beat and he heard one
of the little ... in town crying at night, sitting on the steps
and he said "What's the problem, little boy?"
He said "Well, I'm lost and I don't know how to get home."
The policeman said "Well, what's your address?"
He said "I don't know." Six years old, he didn't know.
Before the time of telephone, he started asking the little boy
from some landmarks and he kept coming up with blanks.
Then, after a quite a while interrogating the little boy,
who's just totally distracted with grief, the policeman said
"Do you know where the central chuch is?"
There was a very proeminent church in town and on top
of the church there was a big cross. He said
"Do you know where the church is?"
"Do you where that big cross is?"
Suddenly, the boy stopped whimpering and he said
"Yes, yes. If you take me to the cross,"
"I can find my way home."
That's how we're going to find our way home, friends.
It's at the cross.
Do you think you can trust the Lord? Do you love the Lord?
Would you like to commit your love to Him today?
I want you to pray as John sings.
I want you to pray about making a decision tonight.
you who are watching.
This is for you, those who are listening.
The Lord is speaking to you. It's a very simple message
of the gospel. Are you willing to take up your cross
and follow Jesus. Do you love Him enough to deny yourself
and take up your cross?
My Jesus, I love thee I know thou art mine;
for thee all the follies of sin I resign.
My gracious Redeemer, my Savior art thou;
if ever I loved thee, my Jesus, 'tis now.
I love thee because thou hast first loved me,
and purchased my pardon on Calvary's tree;
I love thee for wearing the thorns on thy brow;
if ever I loved thee, my Jesus, 'tis now.
I heard a story a few years ago from the Philippines.
A man was a jeepney driver, that's the local taxi
and he had been drinking and had an accident.
Several people were killed. He was sentenced to life
in a very unpleasant prison.
We went to visit this prison in Manilla, 10,000 prisoners.
It's interesting there. Those who are sentenced to life,
they actually live in this one big open community area,
they cook on fire and do their crafts,
but they're all walled in. It turned out this taxi driver
had a wife and children that desperately needed him,
he also had a twin brother, that was single.
And when his brother saw how much his children and his wife
missed him, he went to visit. His brother was an inmate.
And while in prison, he said "I have no family."
"They really need you. I would take your place."
They swapped visiting badges, they swapped clothes,
the guilty brother went free, the innocent brother took
his place. I don't know how long that ruse lasted,
but it still tells the story, doesn't it?
This is what Jesus has done for us, He says
"I'm willing to give you what I deserve and I'm going"
"to take what you deserve."
Would you like to accept that gift to salvation?
I want to be something a little different.
Before we have our prayer, I'd like to make an appeal to you.
Everybody watching, everybody listening,
you're involved in our message today.
There are two choices, there are two roads
the straight way, you take up your cross and follow Jesus
or the wide way to destruction. There are two thieves,
but thank goodness, there were three crosses
on the hill that day.
When that thief believed and he looked to Jesus and he said
"Lord, remember me.", the Father then looked down
from Heaven and there were no longer two thieves and one son,
there are now two sons.
Three crosses on the hill that day, one died in sin,
one died to sin and one died for sin.
You must choose. Will you die in your sins
or will you die to sin, because Jesus died for sin.
Those are the choices we have.
Don't wait for some later date. You cannot count on that
eleventh hour conversion, Matthew Henry said
it's one of the biggest mistakes that people make,
presuming, he said, "there is only one deathbed conversion"
"in the Bible, so that no one needs lose hope,"
"but there is only one, so no one dare presume."
Today, if you hear this voice, do not harden you.
I'd like to ask, those who are watching, those who are here
With these ... seats it's not very convenient to make
an altar ... with burials and everything,
but if the Holy Spirit has spoken to you today,
let me begin with a very specific appeal.
Some of you have wandered from the Lord and you want
to draw near to God and get rebaptized or baptized
for the first time and you recognize the Holy Spirit
speaking to you.
Would you like to stand in his presence right now?
I know he's talking I need a new beginning.
Some of you who are watching, don't worry about the people
here. God is calling you now. Do you hear His Holy Spirit?
Some of you have never praised God,
some of you have never made this decision,
some have been away, maybe ... , maybe the Holy Spirit
just say you need to really get serious. Jesus is coming.
We're talking about eternal life right now.
Stand in His presence.
Don't be afraid of what the people might think,
the thing is what God thinks. Amin?
Amin. That's what matters.
Some of you are feeling the battle going on
in your hearts. That battle is between your devil
and your savior. There is only right hand and the left hand.
What side of Christ do you want to be on?
You're feeling Him calling you?
Stand now! Amin!
Some in those groups are churches that are watching.
You're hearing this call. Even with the ..., you can stand.
Now, before we have prayer, I'd like to open the appeal
a little wider. You have been touched by the Holy Spirit
and you want to go all the way to Jesus.
You want to take up your cross and deny yourself.
There is some area in your life where you know it might mean
cutting off a hand and plucking out an eye,
but you're willing to follow Jesus wherever it costs,
with His help.
Would you like to stand and ask for prayer?
Amin!
Let's pray!
Loving Father in Heaven, thank you for the message
of the cross, that You are able to save under the uttermost
and even though it appeared that this thief's life was
wasted in his circumstances hopeless, when he called out
at that hour, You could save him and promise him Paradise.
Lord, we want to lay claim to that promise.
Please, forgive our sins. We have rebelled, we have robbed
and we are guilty of murdering You.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Remember us when You come into Your kingdom.
Bless these people with revival, fill them with Your spirit,
pour out Your spirit on the church, Lord
and we pray this is not the end, but the beginning of new life,
of new vitality among your people.
We ask in Christ's name. Amin.
Does that set your desire? What do you think?
Would it be nice to go on with you singing our Revive song
together? Let's bring our... those who've been holding John,
you're leaving me behind, I'm not a soloist.
You sing with me, ok?
Revive us, Lord, Fill us with the Holy Spirit.
Revive us, Lord, Heats and minds renew
Revive us, Lord, speak Your Word so we can hear it
Revive us, Lord..
If you'd like today's free offer, "To See The King",
set to call 1-866-905-REVIVE and ask for offer #175.
Once again, 1-866-905-REVIVE and ask for offer #175
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