🔥 I Will Shake All Things - Part 2: The Church - Derek Prince

and we began to deal with in the afternoon the shaking of all things which God has predicted to his profits and I'm not going to go over the material we covered just point out that God says I will shake all things I will shake the heaven I will shake the earth I will shake the dry dry land I will shake the sea I will shake all nations I will shake everything that came be shaken the purpose being that those of us who have received a kingdom that cannot be shaken may be as it were filtered out from the rest of humanity now this evening I want to deal with a practical response how shall we respond if we really believe that God is going to do what he so clearly says he is going to do what are we going to do about it are we going to do nothing or are we going to seek from the Bible to know what the sensible and scriptural course of action is first of all from what I said this afternoon it's obvious that if we want to remain unshakeable we have to build a foundation on the word of Jesus hearing and doing his word so all that I'm going to say now follows out of that in other words in what ways shall we hear and apply the teaching of Scripture I want to start with two verses in 2nd Peter chapter 3 at a chapter which deals with this period the period of shaking i'll read verses 11 and 12 therefore since all these things will be dissolved what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness looking for and hastening the coming the day of God will stop there Peter asks a very sensible question and he asks the right question the question is not first and foremost what shall we do do but what kind of persons aadmi to be what we are is more important than what we do and he gives a very simple outline answer which contains three elements he says first of all in all holy conduct and godliness secondly he says looking for and thirdly hastening the coming of the day of God so there are three things that he speaks about holy conduct and godliness looking for the coming of the day of God and hastening the coming of the day of God that should be our basic response holiness looking for the coming of the day of God and hastening the coming of the day of dawn and I will deal briefly with those first of all with regard to holiness I'll just turn to one scripture which is 2nd Corinthians chapter 6 beginning at verse 17 and continuing on into chapter 7 verse 1 and you need to bear in mind the chapter divisions were not in the original text they will put in many many centuries later by translators and sometimes they obscure the sense so we're going to start now with 2nd Corinthians 6 verse 17 and most of it is a quotation from the Old Testament therefore come out from among them and be separate says the law do not touch what is unclean and I will receive you and I will be a father to you and you shall be my sons and daughters says the Lord Almighty therefore having these promises the loved' let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God so God makes a promise to be a father to all of us who fulfill his conditions but bear in mind there are conditions stated and the first one is come out from among them that's the unbelievers not the other Christians but the unbelievers and be separate he set apart to God do not touch what is unclean and I will receive you now there are many different ways we can touch what is unclean but one very common way which is a problem for nearly all of us is by our our mental attitudes and the things we entertain in our minds and also the things we look at particularly I would have to say by my standards a lot of television programs are unclean and if we deliberately expose ourselves to them we are touching what is unclean if we can't help it that's another matter I don't say by no means that we never go to movies but very seldom can Ruth and I go to movies because they're unclean there was a movie some years back which was really excellent it was called Frisco kid I don't suppose most of you will remember it some of you do yeah all right well it was really hilarious I mean it was so good and it was based on the life of a young Jewish man it was due to become a rabbi and had to go to Los Angeles from Poland I mean it was so exact to the thinking of Jewish people the story was excellent and the acting was outstanding but in the middle of it for no necessary reason at all there was some absolutely filthy language I had nothing to do with the plot and written I said well I'd like to see that again and incidentally we saw it in Florida and I think 80% of the congregation or the audience not congregation what well it was like a congregation in a way was was at least eighty percent was Jewish because we live in a thickly populated area by Jewish people but eventually we said to one another I don't feel free to expose the Holy Spirit in me to the kind of language that comes from that movie that's a personal decision but it's an example of what can mean they meant by touching what is unclean you don't have to do not expose yourself to things that will defile you mentally if you don't have to now I got saved in the British Army and I spent another four and a half years in the Army and you cannot help being exposed to things that are unclean in the army I mean British soldiers are incapable of speaking without blaspheming and swearing unless they've been saved so I heard that day after day for four and a half years but I did not expose myself to it I couldn't avoid it but I never deliberately by the grace of God I never deliberately expose myself to something that will defile me be a preacher I'm particularly careful because I know that I let anything into my mind sooner or later it'll come out of my mouth when I'm preaching I got my mind Ruth will bear me witness I do not deliberately take anything into my mind that could corrupt the Word of God that God has given me to proclaim and I suggest that all of us need to consider you don't need to take the same exact attitude that I take but you need to ask yourself am i touching the unclean am i unnecessarily exposing myself to things that defile my spirit jesus said blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God and the book of Proverbs says keep your heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life everything there is in life comes out of your heart if you have a pure heart you will have a pure life and if your heart is impure your life will be impure that's an unalterable law that governs all human conduct and remember what you put into your heart determines the course of your life you cannot have the wrong thing in your heart and live right and you cannot have the right thing in your heart and live wrong so what you have in your heart determines the course of your life I think when I was in a teacher in Africa in Kenya I got interested in various African dialects including one called Laura goli which is spoken by the Marigold people and I was the principal of a college for training African teachers and I don't know why name but I walked into the dormitory of some of the students and in the Laura goli language I saw proverbs 323 423 up in their language and it said because their language is a little more simple guard your heart with all your strength for everything there is in life comes out of it and I have never forgotten that everything there is in life comes out of your heart if you want a good life have a good heart have a pure heart have a clean heart and if you define yourself ultimately you are the one that will suffer the most obeying the Bible it's not really to be very pious it's to have common sense because it works then God says I will be a father to you and you shall be my sons and daughter says the Lord Almighty God does not offer to be unconditionally father to anybody who wants it he says I'll be a father if you meet my conditions and then Paul adds therefore at the beginning of chapter 7 and you probably heard me say some of you if you find it therefore in the Bible you need to ask what it's there for and this therefore is because of the previous two verses therefore having these promises beloved let us cleanse ourselves some things God does for us and some things we have to do for ourselves now there are many aspects of holiness which only God can do but here is something which it is our responsibility to do let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit filthiness of the flesh I think most of us have a pretty clear idea of some of what's entailed by their sexual immorality drunkenness anger swearing but what about filthiness of the Spirit I'll tell you one thing that I think that is every form of contact with the occult its filthiness of the spirit and many many Christians today often unknowingly are involved in the account many Christians read horoscopes is that right maybe not the ones here but let me tell you that if you lived in Moses in Israel under the law of Moses and you read horoscopes you would have been put to death that's God's estimate on it I'm not going to go into a list of account things it's not my purpose but I discovered in my own life that it took quite a lot of work on my part to eliminate the account for instance at Cambridge my main subject of study on which I wrote my fellowship dissertation was the philosophy of Plato and many many people admire Plato you found many Christians in fact there's a form of Christianity called Neoplatonism ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God so that's a responsibility placed on us I could spend the rest of this evening talking about how to do it but that's not my theme my theme is we're responsible to do it this is not something God will do for us this is something he tells us to do for ourselves then we'll go back to 2nd Peter chapter 3 and look at the second requirement looking for the coming of the day of God I just want to turn to two scriptures the first is in Titus chapter 2 verses 11 12 and 13 Titus 2:11 12 and 13 for the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in the present age looking for the Blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ and notice that Paul calls Jesus God the Great God and our Savior Jesus Christ and the motivation for holy living is primarily looking for the coming of our Lord I think if you analyze the T king of the New Testament on holiness you see that in almost every case it's linked up with the expectation of the Lord's return and personally I believe that where the church loses the sense of expectation of the Lord's return new testament standards of holiness are impossible because I believe that is the key motivation and then likewise in first John chapter 3 this is one two and three first John three one two and three behold what manner of love the father has bestowed on us that we should be called children of God and we are there for the world does not know us because it did not know him beloved now we are children have gone and it has not yet been revealed but what we shall be but we know that when he is revealed we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is and everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself just as he is pure you may tell me that you believe in the doctrine of the return of the Lord but I want to look for the evidence in your life because it says everyone who has this hope in him that's the hope of his coming purifies himself just as he is pure again the scripture puts the responsibility on us there are ways in which God purifies us there are ways in which we have to purify ourselves and God has only got one standard of pure duty that's Jesus just as he is pure then going back to 2nd Peter again just once more chapter 3 verse 12 it says looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God the old authorized versions used to say hastening unto but that's not a very accurate translation the right translation is the one that's used in the Maude texts hastening the coming of the day of God it's not enough just to be expecting it we have to be hastening it how can we hasten it the Bible tells us very clearly turn to Matthew 24 you're following in the scriptures the beginning of this chapter the disciples asked Jesus what will be the sign of your coming and at the end of the age and in his answer Jesus lists a number of signs earthquakes pestilences lawlessness and so on but he hasn't answered the question till verse 13 what will be the sign of your coming and in Matthew 24:13 he gives a specific answer this gospel of the kingdom shall be proclaimed in all the world's are witness to all the nations and then the end shall come when will the end come when the gospel of the kingdom has been proclaimed in all the world as a witness to all the nations who is responsible to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom I didn't get you that's right so how can we hasten the coming by proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom on the other hand if we don't do it we are not hastening the coming we're delaying the coming and if you consider all the agony and suffering in the world today to be responsible for prolonging that longer than necessary is a terrible responsibility but it rests on us Christians if we do not do what we can to hasten the coming of that day and then one further answer in Revelation 19 this is seven and eight this is praise that's going on in heaven revelation 19 verses seven and eight let us be glad and rejoice and give God glory for the marriage of the lamb has come and his wife has made herself ready so the marriage cannot take place until his wife the bride has made herself ready so the state of the church affects the coming of the Lord the Lord cannot come for his bride until she has made herself ready I've lived in a lot of different cultures and nations I've never lived in any culture or a nation where a bride did not take some trouble to make herself ready for our wedding day it's universal no matter what your color or your language the same is true the church the church has to make herself ready and then in the next verse it talks about our wedding garment there's a to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen clean and bright for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints notice the word we have to wear linen pure white shining linen and the shining linen is the righteous acts of the saints when you and I believe sincerely in Jesus commit our lives to him his righteousness is imputed to us and the scripture says we are justified we are reckoned righteous but that's not what the Scriptures talking about here it's talking about the righteous acts of the saints we have to translate imputed righteousness into outworked righteousness and that's the material from which our wedding garment will be made it's the righteous acts of the saints and I've permitted myself to say sometimes according to my observation the contemporary church has got just about enough material to make a bikini but that's not suitable for a marriage so the other way in which we can hasten the coming of the Lord is by performing our righteous acts providing ourselves with enough material to make the kind of wedding garment that we ought to wear now having said laid that as a sort of foundation I want to speak about for practical ways we can express our obedience to the Word of God number one is aligned with God's purposes or purpose better purpose God has a purpose which is clearly revealed early on in the New Testament God has never changed his purpose he's working toward it consistently and it's stated in a very familiar passage which we call the Lord's Prayer Matthew 6 9 and 10 our Father in heaven Hallowed be your name that's the approach that's not a prayer that's an approach and the first specific prayer is your kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in heaven what is the primary objective of God it's that his kingdom may come and we can only align ourselves with God and with his purpose when we are aligned with the coming of God's kingdom when everything we do is ultimately directed towards the coming of the kingdom of God in the same chapter of Matthew verse 33 it says seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all the other things will be added to you and when God says first he means first not second of them in other words our primary recurrent concern in life is to be the coming of the kingdom of God I am naive enough to believe that there is no other solution for the ills of humanity we're confronted every day through the media with all the agony and the turmoil of humanity personally I think people are naive who believe that man can solve that problem by himself I was somewhat shocked when President Bush in connection with the Gulf War said a new order was being initiated of Justice I've considered that a remarkably naive statement for a leader of a great nation and I like to say I will not buy into his new world order I'm not impressed by but man has entertained the idea for hundreds of years that he can solve his own problems bring peace and justice to the earth and I would say today we're probably further away from it than we've ever been at any time in human history so I'm not ashamed to say that I believe the only ultimate realistic solution for the human race is the establishment of God's kingdom on earth under his appointed ruler Jesus Christ I don't feel intellectually inferior for believing that I don't believe it's a pious superstition I believe it's a realistic appraisal of the situation in the world and the nature of man so I am committed to the coming of the kingdom of God and insofar as lies in me with many weaknesses and frailties my life is directed toward that end now I happen to be a preacher I have a teaching ministry and by the grace of God my teachings are now reaching practically every nation on earth in various forms in radio in video in audio tapes and in print that's the practical expression in my life of my commitment to the coming of the kingdom of God now you are not called to do what I'm called to do but you are called to do something and first and foremost you need to get your priorities right it's not seek the kingdom of God when it suits you or when you've attended to all the other things that concern you seek it first and when God says first he means first as I was preparing this message I got a vivid picture in my mind of the prophet Jonah I want to turn there for a moment you know the story of Jonah most of you God said go to Nineveh and preach when I tell you Nineveh was east and Jonah went the opposite direction he went west I think the reason why I didn't want to preach to Nineveh was that he was afraid that people would repent and Nineveh was the number one political enemy of his people Israel so he did not want to do anything that would forward their cause that's my personal opinion and the remarkable thing is when God eventually got his way with Jonah the greatest experience a conversion recorded in history happened through him an entire city of people believe at least 600,000 people was converted but before that happened Jonah had to learn a lesson and this is very interesting but he lived on the mountains of Galilee and when he turned his back on God every step he took was a step down he went from the mountains to the plane from the plane to the harbor from a harbor to the ship and that wasn't the end from the ship into the sea and then that be a warning to each and every one of us when you turn your back on God every step you take will be a step downward well God was on Jonah's case and when the ship took sail it says God held out a storm into the sea and all these pagans began to cry out to God and ask for help where was Jonah the only one who knew the true God the only one who had the answer let me read verse five then the Mariners were afraid and every man cried out to his god and threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten the load but Jonah had gone down into the lowest parts of the ship had lain down and was fast asleep you know what made him sleep a bad conscience he couldn't face life I've met people who take refuge in sleep I knew a lady who if things went wrong would sleep for 16 hours that was her escape from life the captain who was an unbeliever came to him and said to him what do you mean sleeper arise call on your God perhaps your God will consider us so that we may not perish you know there are a lot of Jonah's in the world today they've had a call from God they know full well what God wanted them to do but it didn't suit them so they've turned their back on gone and now while the world is tossing in the tempest where are they down in the bottom of the ship fast asleep that's a tragic situation we have some Jonas here this evening you know God called you and you deliberately turned your back on gone and who knows how you got here this evening but I'm going to give you an opportunity later in this service to change your mind so you can think that over think of it the only man who knew the true God the only man who had the answer all the pagans around him were praying earnestly and he was done then the signs of the ship fast asleep what a vivid picture of multitudes of Christians today down in the ship asleep because they're not willing to face reality alright that's number one my recommendations align with God's purpose which is the coming of his kingdom he's never varied he's never changed that is his objective number two cultivate endurance we will turn back to Matthew 24 that the verse that I quoted was verse 14 this gospel of the kingdom shall be proclaimed in all the world as a witness to all the nations and then the end shall come but the verse before that says but he who endures to the end shall be same and Jesus had been speaking about all the problems and troubles and Agony's that are coming on the nations and then he says he who endures to the end shall be same that's the English translation but the Greek is more specific it says he who has endured to the end shall be saved practice it's more specific that Jesus he who has endured to the end this is the one who will be saved the English translation doesn't bring it out sufficient ability who will be saved the one who has endured to the end so you're saved now but to stay saved you have to endure Luke 21 which is a parallel passage it's a gang the discourse that Jesus gave he says in verse 17 and following Luke 21 17 and you will be hated by all for my name's sake obviously that must refer to Christians as it's people who are hated for the sake of the name of Jesus that's one of those promises people don't put in their promise box the next promise maybe you do but not a hair of your head shall be lost now that refers to the resurrection because lots of Christians who were martyred their bodies were totally destroyed but in the resurrection if you make it through you come out with a full head of hair not one hair missing that's a guarantee from Jesus then he says in your patience possess your souls but that really does not reckon rim render the meaning I'll give you my version the prints version by your endurance purchase yourselves I mean you can check if you if you want to that I have looked at the words that's my understanding of it in other words what is the price you have to pay for the salvation of your souls in one word endurance that's right you see there are things we have to buy but not with money there's other currency with which we buy some things in Isaiah 55 verse 1 it says come buy wine and milk without money without price you have to buy them but not with money in the parable of the wise and the foolish virgins the foolish who did not bring enough oil the wise said to them go and buy oil but while they were buying the bridegroom came and they missed it but the oil we always understand to be a type of the Holy Spirit you cannot buy the Holy Spirit with money but you have to buy in the Holy Spirit with prayer we're seeking gone with time spent in the word otherwise when your lamp runs out you'll have nothing to refuel it with and then in Revelation 3 speaking to the Church of Laodicea Jesus says I canceled you to buy of me gold tried in the fire and white raiment that's not bought with money but it's bought and I understand it here in Luke Jesus says you have to purchase the salvation of your soul by your endurance if you don't endure you'll be lost then there was the scripture Ruth and I proclaimed we counted all joy when we fall into various trials can you say that I mean I know you can say the words but is it true see why we proclaim that Scripture is because God convinced us convicted us that it wasn't that way with us when we fell into various certain trials we I don't know that we complained but we certain didn't certain they didn't count it all joy so we had to confess that as a sin and we're trying to do better the James says count it all joy when you fall into various trance by because the testing of your faith produces endurance I have observed in the New Testament that every test a Christian goes through ultimately as a test of faith it may take many forms but what is being tested is your thing and then James says let endurance have it's perfect work don't stop short don't start to endure and then give up that endurance have it's perfect work that you may be perfect and complete lacking nothing I asked you before how many of you how many of us want to be perfect and complete lacking nothing what's the condition endurance that's right there's no way around it and you know there's only one way to learn to endure you know what that is enduring that's right one of the words used in the old King James Version was long-suffering and you know how you learn long-suffering my suffering long there's no other way to do it I mean you can laugh at that but it's exactly correct I know a brother who sister came to him for prayer and minister and said brother so-and-so pray for me I get out of this situation I can't stand the boss I'm working for him and he said no I won't pray for you haven't suffered long enough I'd like to turn to the end of James for a few moments I want to point out to you how closely endurance is connected with preparation for the coming of the Lord James chapter 5 just reading verses 7 through 11 now the word that's used here mainly is patience and let me offer you a little English lesson for which I make no extra charge there are three related English words patience perseverance and endurance they're related but they're distinct and all of them have their place in Christian experience patience is derived from the same Latin root which gives us the word passive patience is essentially doing nothing and God expresses patience Peter says that the patience of God waited in the days of Noah God didn't do anything for a hundred and twenty years he let man go on lots of people could concluded God doesn't care that's not so it was the patience of God often God exercised his patience he doesn't do anything you say how could he let Hitler get away with it patience have gone so patience in a sense in a good sense is doing nothing and then there's perseverance which you can interpret as doing something and persistently doing it going on and on and on doing it not stopping and then there's endurance which is the word we're mainly dealing with and the Greek word means remaining under so you're under all these pressures and endurance is remaining there it's holding out against them but it's not trying to escape from them so we have these three aspects of Christian conduct patience perseverance and endurance and they're all involved in the preparation for the coming of the Lord so I'll read these few verses from James chapter 5 verse 7 therefore be patient brethren until the coming of the Lord you know I find that for most men servants of the Lord patience is the hardest thing to achieve I think women are better at patience the men it doesn't mean they're good but I mean I had been a Christian at least thirty years before I realized that my bit setting sin was impatience I wasn't even convicted of it and when I began to deal with it dear Lord I realized what a hole it had over me all right we're going on see how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and land of rain you also be patient establish your hearts for the coming of the Lord is at hand do not grumble against one another brethren lest you be condemned the whole the judge is standing at the door my brother him take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord as an example of suffering and patience I run into quite a lot of people today who want to claim to be prophets but I'm not sure that they're following the scriptural pattern because there's nothing very glamorous about being a prophet according to the Bible it's painful it means isolation persecution I preached once in Africa in Ghana on the ministries the ministries of the body deposits prophets evangelists I had an audience of I think three thousand people mostly young men it was wonderful so after I dealt with the Ministry of the Apostle for quite a while I said how many of you would like to be apostles does anybody have an NIV here that I can borrow for a moment someone close to me I'll give it back I promise thank you very much so a lot of them put their hands up I said wait a moment let me read you the Job Description before you apply and I turned to first Corinthians chapter 4 which is very vivid in the NIV this is what it says I think it applies really to the contemporary charismatic people I used to call it the charismatic movement but I don't because I don't think it's moving anywhere it was but it's got bomb down somewhere all right this is first corinthians chapter 4 beginning at verse 8 already you have all you want address to the corinthian christians already you have become rich they've had the full gospel did you ever hear the perversion of the full business full gospel businessmen's a movement which is the full business men's gospel movement Oh Deborah I love those brothers I've spoken for the many times but you have become kings and that without us how I wish that you really had become Kings so that we might be Kings with you but it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession like men condemned to die in the arena we have been made a spectacle to the whole universe two angels as well as two men we are fools for Christ but you are so honest in Christ we are weak but you are strong you are honored we are Dishonored to this very hour we go hungry and thirsty we are in rags we are brutally treated we are homeless we work hard than our own hands when we are cursed we bless when we are persecuted we endure it when we are slandered we answered kindly up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth the refuse of the world that's the New Testament description of a prophet of an apostle if you want the description of what it's like to be in a prophet I think you can find it in Hebrews since we're there Hebrews hebrews chapter 11 the last two verses this is the prophetic ministry they were stoned they were sawn in two that was isaiah they were put to death by the sword they went and about they went about in sheepskins and goatskins destitute persecuted and ill-treating the world was not worthy of them they wandered in deserts and mountains and in caves and holes in the ground how many want to be prophets thank you for them you see what I'm saying what's needed I didn't get you endurance that's right we'll go on now with which we're reading again we go back to verse 10 of James fine my brethren take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord as an example of suffering and patience not an example of glamour but a suffering indeed we count them blessed who endure you have heard that the perseverance notice that word of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord the Lord that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful if you go through those verses you found the theme is patience perseverance endurance and that's the pattern for the people of God who are preparing for the return of the Lord I have to say that I preached these words to myself as much as to anybody here but I I tremble often when I hear in the irresponsible way in which people are talking today about ministries and gifts it's tough to have a ministry in the body of Christ the more harm you do the devil the more he'll fight against you if you're not prepared for conflict and agony just resign you hear that that's all men all right we're coming to the next this is number three three this is worse still you know what it is it's waiting the importance of waving is almost totally overlooked in the contemporary church at least by the kind of people I mix with and yet it's an essential part of our preparation for the return of the law Hebrews chapter 9 verse 28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many to those who eat early wait for him he will appear a second time apart from sin for salvation to whom will he appear to those who eat early wait for him now some translations don't put in the eagerly but there are it's a double preposition in the Greek and I think eagerly accurately represents the real meaning of it's not just waiting for him but it's eagerly waiting for him I have a friends known to a few this year but I won't mention his name who is a preacher he and I worked together in the past and he has a rather droll way of expressing himself and he says when the Lord returns he will expect to hear something more from us then nice to have you back if we're eagerly waiting for him we'll have more to say than that then in first Thessalonians a very remarkable passage chapter 1 verses 9 and 10 which is speaking about the testimony of the unbelievers to the experience of the Thessalonians 1st Thessalonians 1:9 and 10 for they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you and how you turn from God to God from idols to serve the living and true God and to wait for his son from heaven who ray whom he raised from the dead even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come so these people turn to God as a result of the Ministry of Paul to do two things and there's no suggestion that one is more important than the other to serve the Living God and to wait for his son from heaven you see as Christians we are called to serve but we are also called to wait and I've spoken to Christian ministers and workers in many places I sometimes ask this question which takes more faith to work or to wait and never have anybody had answered that it's safe takes more faith to work than to wait the real test of faith is waiting and it's a test to which we will all be subjected because we are called to turn from idols to serve God to wait for his son give me back my NIV from I'm sorry yo this is a verse in Isaiah 64 verse 4 which is so vivid in this that I I like to code it from from the NIV chapter 64 verse 4 this describes one unique aspect of the true God it says since ancient times no one has heard no ear has perceived no eye has seen any God besides you who acts on behalf of those who wait for him what's the one unique distinguishing characteristic of the true God he acts on behalf of those who do one wait for him thank you I don't I think I'm probably all right turn to John chapter 9 verse 4 verse 4 a verse that can quoted recently while praying with us I don't know whether he remembers John 9 verse 4 Jesus says we that's a better translation or better version than I we must work the works of him who sent me while it is day the night is coming when no one can work do you understand that there is coming over the earth a night of darkness when work will be over and will only do one thing which is wait that's right but we'll wait content if we've done our John but it will be intensely frustrating when the night descends and you say but I should have done this I should have done that I should be there because it'll be too late the night is coming when no one can work the only thing we can do is to wait and we don't know how long we'll have to wait you know what I've noticed about God's trials he hardly ever tells you this is a trial and if you hold out for six months you'll be through and some of us get two five months and 29 days and we give up we didn't know we only had one more day never give up there's no precedent in the Bible for giving up God determines how long the tests will last not we you see waiting is one of the tests to which God almost invariably subjects the servants he intends to use I'll give you just a little list Abraham you're going to have a son who will be the head of a nation that will be unique in the earth how long did he have to wait 25 years meanwhile his dear wife Sarah tried to help him and complicated things it's interesting she said listen to me do what I say first of all have a child by Hagar and they did she said get rid of the child that's the counsel of the flesh it's inconsistent tells you to do one thing and later cancels it but Abraham became the man he wans by waiting he had to watch his wife passed the age of childbearing and still wait it's amazes me that Abraham is so highly rated in the Bible but what did he do well essentially he was a prosperous cattle farmer and he wandered around the area to the east end of the Mediterranean looking after his flocks in his herds he did nothing very dramatic until the time came that he offered up I was willing to offer up his son Isaac I've often asked myself what was it in Abraham that caused God to esteem him so highly that he was called the friend of God and I'm not sure that I really know the answer but I think one way he earn God's favor was by waiting some of you are going to forfeit God's favor if you don't wait and then there was Joseph I loved the passage in Psalm 105 that speaks about Joseph I think I can identify with this to some extent from my own experience Psalm 105 verse 17 and following God sent a man before them Joseph who was sold as a slave they hurt his feet with fetters his soul came into ions somebody said the iron came into his soul - until the time that his word came to pass the word of the Lord tested him see that's a test the Lord gives you a glorious promise tremendous and after that everything goes the opposite way instead of becoming the ruler of real brother and you end up in a jail in Egypt and I can't think of a worse place to be in jail than Egypt what was gone doing testing him what was the test waiting and then if you want to look at honors Moses it says in numbers 12 verse 3 Moses was the meekest man on earth how did Moses learn meekness from waiting by waiting 40 years somebody asked another preacher friend of mine why did God keep Moses waiting 40 years and the answer was because he couldn't do it in 39 God will not finish until the test is complete when Moses first thought he could deliver Egypt he was a Israel out of Egypt he was a very arrogant young man 40 years later he was the meekest man on a and no one except jesus has ever exercised such authority as Moses exercised so if you want to have Authority you know what you need to cultivate meekness God cannot trust his entirety to the arrogant the prom the selfi so did we had a prophetic word that said that in so many ways you know the condition for promotion in the kingdom of God it's very easy it's a base yourself everyone who bases himself will be exalted but on the other hand everyone who exalts himself will be a base that's right you have the choice that's an unalterable law that governs the universe people talk about breaking God's laws that's not true we don't break God's laws God's laws break us if we break them and then let's think just about David for a moment another young man who was given tremendous promises are gone and he spent the next I don't know how many years I think probably about fifteen years living as he said himself like a dead dog or a partridge on the mountains running away from the man whom he was to succeed as king why does God permit that in fact why does God ordained that what is he looking for in one word I didn't hear you endurance that's right you cannot bypass endurance you know whom I'm speaking to at the moment me you cannot bypass endurance and enter into the promises of God you can come so far but the completeness is only through endurance and just when it seems impossible to hold out that's the time to hold up don't give in I would like to say that to several of you individually you're in the test you're doing all right just hang in there don't back out don't give up God is faithful I've been asked sometimes if I had a message to leave for posterity what would it be I always say I can give it to you in three words God is faithful I'll tell you another thing about waiting it causes us to realize more and more our dependence on God I can't do anything I can't make it happen I don't know when he's coming I just depend on him I don't know whether you ladies ever have problems in your house but we do in Israel sometimes our electricity fails for reasons we can't analyze and we're in the middle of cooking something or somebody's doing the awning and we phone and we eventually catch up with our electrician it's midday yes I'll try to be there about 4:00 p.m. so what do we do for 4 hours we wait and by the end of 4 hours you know we were know one thing we need the electrician we're dependent on it so waiting causes us to realize in an only gonna make sure our dependence on Jesus all right finally brethren and I trying to do better than Paula said finally brethren wrote two more chapters and I think it's necessary to say this because what I've said in many ways has been hard to tame that the fourth recommendation I have is cultivate a positive attitude and expectation you know somebody said everybody is born either an optimist or a pessimist and I know full well when I was born I was born a pessimist furthermore I was brought up to be a pessimist I mean my parents were good people but in my home if you weren't worrying you should be worrying about the fact you weren't worrying and I was saying baptized in the Holy Spirit and had a ministry but I had not overcome pessimism and the expression it took in my life was depression and although other people were getting saved I was struggling ceaselessly against this dark cloud that settled down over me and I did everything I mean I knew the Scriptures fairly well I know that you have to reckon yourself Dave and I wrecked myself dead so many times it just didn't have any meaning but it didn't solve the problem and then one day I was reading Isaiah chapter 61 verse 3 and I read in place of the spirit of heaviness the garment of faith and when I read the phrase the spirit of heaviness the Holy Spirit said to me that's your problem and I suddenly realized I wasn't dealing with myself it wasn't my mental attitudes it was a person that was tormenting me day and night and I realized he was a person that had known me from childhood he knew my every weakness he knew just when to attack furthermore I realized that it was what we would call a familiar spirit was a spirit that had come down through my family identified exactly the same condition in my father and I called on the name of the Lord and I was delivered from that demon oh yes I was saved I spoke in tongues I preached the gospel but I needed to be delivered from a demon I was so ashamed of that that I didn't tell anybody for 10 years and then the Lord forced me out are they open by confronting me with a demon-possessed woman in front of my Pope in on Sunday moaning and I had just been preaching that no matter what the devil does God has the last word there was this woman writhing like a snake in front of the pulpit the same woman that used to play the piano for our worship meetings and I knew I other had to prove it or stop saying it and that was when I was thrust out into the open and that woman was delivered but it took me ten years from the time I was sure I was delivered myself before I was willing to face the issue in public but why I said that is because once I was delivered God showed me he had done for me what I could not do for myself but he would not do for me what I could do for myself and he showed me I had to change the way I thought every time a negative suggestion or reaction came to my mind I had to meet it with something positive out of the scripture and that did not happen overnight it took at least three years but by the end of that time I was no longer a pessimist so I understand what's involved I would say as a matter of fact if you'll forgive my saying as a British audibly sure one of the main problems of Britain is pessimism the British are more prone to pessimism than any other major nation that I've dealt with I think it's something it's a spiritual influence somewhere anyhow let's not get involved in that I think I want to say this I will be teaching on deliverance from demons in Kensington temple later this month if you really have a serious need come then we'll do something for you all right now let's just come to this business of having a positive attitude and clothes Romans chapter 12 verse 21 says do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil by good so we have two options and only two we can overcome or we can be overcome but that's nothing in between and when we're confronted by evil there's only one thing that's strong enough to overcome evil that is good we cannot take a negative attitude we cannot simply say it's not my problem we have to actively practice that which is good do not become overcome by evil but overcome evil by good and Romans 8:35 and following says who shall separate us from the love of Christ shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword as as it is written for your sake we are killed all day long we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter that's pretty negative teaching isn't it some people object a negative teaching they say brother be positive but the negative is also true people who sell phony shares in the stock market are very positive that they're dishonest I believe as Christians we have to face the negative you cannot close our eyes or avert our heads there is trouble ahead I believe there's much more trouble ahead than most of us can even comprehend at the moment but that doesn't mean we have to be pessimistic what is Paul's comment yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us what is all these things there's a list tribulation distress persecution famine nakedness peril or soul and then Paul says in all these things we are more than conquerors I once asked the Lord what it meant to be more than Conqueror I felt the answer he gave me was this to be more than a conquerer means that you go into a trouble overcome it and come out of the trouble with more than you went in with you've taken spoiled first John chapter 4 I'm only two more scriptures 1st John chapter 4 and verse 4 you are of God little children and have overcome then all the forces of evil because he who is in you is greater than he who was in the world actually it's incredibly stupid at the devil ever to think that he could take God on I mean we can absorb the stupidity the God who created the whole universe and keeps it in perfect order and some created being challenges this God there was an American philosopher who said about the devil he's a consummate ass I'm not using empty words I'm just pointing out it's the height of stupidity what the devil has done but he who is in us is greater than he who is in the world I'd like you to say that after me because I think you need to say he who is in us is greater than he who is in the world said again he who is in us is greater than he who is in the world now if you would like to do this find somebody near you turn to them look them in the eyes and say he who is in me is greater than he was in the world all right all right you know why because it's I want to do that is because it's pretty easy to look up to God and not be embarrassed when you've got to look somebody right between the eyes and say it that that gives you some idea of whether you really mean it all right one on the scripture and we close Revelation 21 verse 7 Revelation 21 verse 7 he who overcomes shall inherit all things and I will be his God and he shall be my son I have searched the New Testament I cannot find any promise there except for those who overcome and you only have two options either overcome or be overcome so we all of us each of us has to make up my mind I can overcome greater is He that is in me than he lives in the world but I have to make my mind up I have to meet the conditions now I just think I need to apply what I've been saying very briefly I felt when the Lord gave me this message that there would be some Jonas here tonight who've heard the call of God and refused it and maybe where you've been is down in the sides of the ship fast asleep but by some act of God's providence you've got here tonight and you've listened to the description and you realize that is me I'm a Jonah I'm running away from God and every step I've taken since I turned my back on God has been a step downward but now tonight I want to turn back to God I want to acknowledge my rebellion and turn back to him and submit my life to Him now Christians would you be praying if there's any Jonas here tonight we want to tell you that God loves you still we love you we want to help you but you've got to make a decision if you want to come back to God tonight do just one simple thing wherever you are in this auditorium stand to your feet right now say I'm a Jonah I've been running away from the Lord but I want to come back wherever you may be I am quite sure there's at least one here tonight god bless you god bless you anybody else another Jonah bless you I said I was sure there was a woman here tonight just keep standing because this is an important moment there's another god bless you my dear sister god bless you god bless you god bless you now don't stand unless you answer that category you have heard the call of God and you've run away and now you want to come back praise God God showed me that would be Jonah's hit no listen I want you to do something else this won't be altogether easy but it makes the difference I want you to get out of your Pew and by whatever means possible come down and stand in front of the pulpit here all right please you've got to move out from where you are you understand just to stay in one position now brother Cain where are you if we have counselors here well I'll tell you what I think we need to send them into another room I didn't know we'd get this number of people I just want to tell you that it makes me very happy to see you here tonight and I want you to know God loves you he's never given up on you you understand you may have given up on him but he has never given up on you thank you lord I would like all of you to just say this simple prayer after me well we await a moment or two as people come now I know that some of you need to get out it's late but try and hold fast if you can don't be embarrassed if you have to go Ruth come stand with me now very simple prayer praying to Jesus not to me I'll give you the words you say them after me Lord Jesus I'm sorry that I turned my back on you I went my own way tonight I repent I turn back to you I submit myself to you and I ask you to have your way in my life take me as I am and make me what you want me to be I want you to say those last words again take me as I am and make me what you want me to be in the name of Jesus amen now can is there a place to which they can go if they won't pay would you show them how to go now while they are being directed I just want to give one further opportunity if there is anybody here tonight you've never been born again you've never become part of God's new creation and you want to be part of that new creation do those people that came forward as Jonas would you go out that way Christians will you be praying for these some of us know from experience it's hard to come back to go on when you've turned away but tonight is their night God showed me put that bit in bout Jonah because there going to be some here tonight now we're not going to prolong this but if you have never been born again you do not know for sure that your sins are being forgiven for the sake of Jesus you've never personally yielded your life to Him as Savior and confess him as Lord you don't know the peace that comes through the forgiveness of sins but you would like that tonight would you just do the same as the other did others did would you just stand to your feet wherever you are don't be embarrassed do not be embarrassed it would be a tragedy if you were to go out of here tonight without having come to know Jesus personally we're not going to prolong this I have a feeling there's at least one person and you're struggling Christians let's pray for a moment surely Lord if there is somebody here tonight who needs to be born again but is held back by some satanic pressure our spirit of fear whatever it may be in your name Lord Jesus we loose them now from anything that holds them that they may be free to make their own decision in Jesus me I mean now if you want to receive Jesus you can all you have to do to indicate this to stand to your feet we're not going to prolong this I have such a strong feeling there is somebody here oh there's somebody standing god bless you we couldn't have gone home without you now is there a some mature Christian here you can counsel a dear lady I'd like you to go back to do we have somebody yes all right would you see the lady that's standing go back and talk to her pray with her and help her now how many of us can say thank you Jesus you

Channel: Derek Prince

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Keywords: i will shake all things, derek prince sermons, sermonindex, hillsong church uk, joseph prince church, god judges the nations, sermon about judgement day, sermon about judgment, deception in the bible, endtime prophecy, foundations of the faith, power of god channel, power of god ministry, power of god tv, satans attack, believe in the bible, bible study about end times, bible study about prophetic times, sermon about end times, sermon about prophetic times

Id: ySBEVLCCHZs

Length: 86min 45sec (5205 seconds)

Published: Fri Jul 04 2014