A Storm is Coming | Sermon by Pastor John Lomacang

[Music] so [Music] hello friends welcome to 3abn worship hour i'm pastor john loma kang and i want to thank you for taking the time to join us this sabbath morning for a very potent and powerful relevant message entitled the direction of the storm before we open god's word and before we allow the lord through his holy spirit to unpack this message let us go to the lord in prayer gracious father in heaven what a blessing it is what a privilege it is and what a responsibility to speak for heaven and i pray lord that you will anoint my mind and my lips that what you have given to me will find that willing mind that fertile heart that life looking for answers in a world filled with confusion we pray that you'll not only enlighten the intellect but that you will empower the bones the mind the heart to move in harmony with what your spirit reveals through your word today but may all the glory and honor go only to you in jesus name i pray amen the direction of the storm i think about our world and i think about what's happening in our society and not too long ago as i was having morning devotions with my wife in my devotions the lord opened my mind to something more than just saying let us get ready for the storm but he gave me an insight into something even a little deeper than that because we've talked about storms of life storms of finances storms of difficulty but something came to my mind after returning home from vacation in the virgin islands as i was visiting with my brother he's a fisherman and we were on the ocean quite often we were enjoying the water and the wind was blowing in various directions and the thought came to my mind coupled with god's leading in my devotion that it's not just important to know about the storm but it is even more important to understand the direction of the storm and the apostle paul joins in that very ideology when he talks about the fact that the bible through the apostle paul has diagnosed a condition that would arrest the christian world in the last days he is saying there is going to be a storm brewing in the christian world that will catch many christians by surprise and i feel sad to say this but it does not exclude any denomination because too often when we read the bible we apply passages about turning away from the truth turning away from light we often apply those passages to those who openly reject the truth but i'm finding as i get older and as i begin to look at what's happening on the horizon that it is also becoming prevalent among those professing to believe the truth listen to the scripture that we often apply outside but the apostle paul says that this applies to every christian in the last days second timothy chapter four verses three and four and he wrote for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine but according to their own desires or lust as the king james version says because they have itching ears i'll come back to that they will keep up for themselves teachers and verse 4 says and they will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables itching ears what did you say what did god's word say i don't believe that any longer what is that what is what is that i'm hearing we are living in the day and age where the winds of doctrine are blowing so intensely that those that you may have thought are founded or have been founded or were established firmly on god's word we are beginning to see shifts take place in all directions even within the seventh-day adventist church people that we thought would hang in there through difficult times are beginning to succumb to the pressures of life some are succumbing to ideologies and theologies that are not supported by scripture others are choosing teachers because what they formally believed they no longer believe and they are denying the very word of god that has been established unmovable on the truths of god's word god's word like god is the same yesterday today and forever it doesn't change but this modern thirst this shifting society this metamorphosizing atmosphere when people are saying well do we still have to believe those old doctrines do we still have to hold to those old ways of doing life in those old ways of living living in society and people are now saying let's look for something new let us change those old ideas let us embrace the modern vernacular of the way that the world does life but the danger there is the the prophet jeremiah said ask for the old path where righteousness dwells in other words if you're lost in a forest and you cannot find your way i would strongly suggest if you see a groove worn in the ground with footsteps follow that path it'll be a lot more reliable than the very smooth grounds that surround you the apostle paul is saying that we must become acutely aware that this syndrome that is beginning to grapple people happens among those that are not really openly considering themselves to be abandoning truth and seduction is amazing the way that people drift away is they all they've got to do is lift their anchor slightly they don't even have to pull the anchor completely in the boat as long as the anchor is no longer connected to the ground over which they are hovering they can begin to drift and some people are saying well my anchor is not pulled up completely but they have pulled their anchor slightly enough to begin to drift they are being pulled in by the unpredictable elements of a society gone mad well i think about that friends you don't have to go very far to look at our society today and say our world is crazy off the chain gone mad they have lost their minds in some particulars and the sad reality is that a time when christians should be trusting what god has revealed to them over the course of their growth as christians over the course of bible study they are beginning to succumb to the unpredictable elements of a world gone mad the apostle paul in romans 16 verse 18 he describes one of satan's most effective tools and he wrote in these this verse romans 16 verse 18 he says by smooth words and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the simple listen to that smooth words and flattering speech you want to find somebody smooth that the devil is smooth he can study the way you think he can watch your body movements he can even see your reactions while a sermon is being preached he can look at your your your mind he could see your eye flicker he can see the expression on your face when you hear something proclaimed from god's word and he will note ah they didn't accept that that would be a good person to work on but i suggest to you that the reason why many christians are being drawn in is because they don't see the direction of the storm i pointed out i was visiting with my brother and family in the virgin islands my wife and i were there together and as i was sitting down talking with him as we were on a catamaran floating there in the wonderful caribbean ocean i asked about the various hurricanes but he pointed me back to one of the hurricanes that was not maryland or irma or maria he pointed me way back to a hurricane that took place in the late 1980s hurricane hugo he said hurricane hugo was one of the strongest hurricanes that ever hit the virgin islands meteorologists said it was the strongest hurricane that ever hit in south carolina's history and they said at that time it was the strongest and costliest hurricane in the atlantic for 15 days hurricane hugo devastated everything in its path and meteorologists say at its height it was a category five but my interest in the impact of hugo came when my brother began to explain something that really fascinated me he said hurricane hugo was 130 miles south of saint thomas he said it was 90 miles south of saint croix and i asked myself the question how could a hurricane 130 miles away do so much damage well i went to weather.gov to find out some of the facts about hurricane hugo and i'll share that with you as i read it says hurricane hugo's eye crossed saint croix in the united states virgin islands early in the morning of september 18th then just six hours later struck the island of vieques along the east coast of puerto rico with winds estimated near 125 miles per hour an anemometer on the ship called the nightcap in the harbor of colebra measured the winds at gusts of 170 miles an hour and when i asked about the greatest impact of the hurricane i was told that the greatest impact of the hurricane comes from the northeast side of the hurricane pause and think about that for a moment the east side according to geological surveys and according to those that follow the weather they said hurricanes rotate around the eye which is the lowest pressure point of the hurricane they also point out that the north northeast quadrant is always rotating in the area the storm is approaching and they point out that all the major rain bands are coming in from that side and especially when it hits landfall making it the most powerful part of the storm they also point out the other side of the hurricane the northwest or the northeast the west and the southwest sides are drier than the north eastern side of the storm let me break that down to a great degree hurricanes are unpredictable because until the northeast quadrant of the storm makes landfall the damage prediction is at best speculation in simple english you don't know what's going to happen until the northeast part of the storm hits meteorologists are predicting that this year i don't want to give the date of the year could be one of the most active hurricane seasons in decades and with back to back category fives that hit the virgin islands irma and maria some of the virgin islanders are making preparation already and here's why my brother said they don't take soft winds for granted anymore when they see the winds beginning to pick up people become concerned and they begin to stop bottles of water batteries flashlights all the things necessary extra food supplies because they know that this could be an indication that a storm is on the way well the apostle paul gives us a glimpse into how storms are formed and what happens when we ignore the soft blowing winds of the south the leading edge of the storm acts chapter 27 verse 13 and 14 listen to what he says he says when the south wind blew softly supposing that they had obtained their desire putting out to see that is setting sail they sailed close to crete in verse 14 but not long after a tempestuous headwind arose called yourocladin now you and i know that whenever you name a storm it's a hurricane it's a typhoon it's beyond the regular mundane storms that blow things around lightly it's a storm that we have to take seriously well my friends we are living in a world that is changing rapidly the storms of the future are unpredictable to many and people are building their hopes on the shifting winds of uncertainty the world is shackled together by unstable promises they trust politicians they trust the news they trust the stock market they trust those who are saying well the stock is going to go up it's going to go down this is the time to invest this is the time to pull your money out they are trusting the predictions of men when they should be trusting the predictions of god's word but the sad part of the storms that are coming the sad part of the south leading storms that turn ferocious when the north wind hits is many that claim to know the truth and i'm going to say this again many that claim to believe the remnant message are beginning to embrace superficial speculation can i expand on that for a moment thank you for saying yes superficial speculation replaces certainty and when you do that it leads you to dial back your urgency what's happening what's happening to the church what is happening to the remnant church that claims to believe the prophecies of daniel in revelation what's happening to those that claim to believe the truth that they have understood and have stood by for many many decades what is happening there they are having itching ears and they're beginning to listen to voices outside of the church politicians favorite news networks conspiracy theories and they're going down these rabbit holes and before long we can't even identify those individuals any longer because they have lost their minds they have embraced speculation superficial speculation and they have dialed back their urgency a sad reality so the question is when the storm comes will they endure when the most intense storms of the future really hit the church will they be left let me make an application the the devil knows that this is the remnant church he also knows that when you proclaim the three angels messages you are proclaiming a remnant message but he knows even more than that he knows that he can't change the remnant church revelation 12 or 17. he knows he can't change the remnant message the three angels messages so he aims at the remnant people he's seeking to shake their faith so that when the shaking is done their anchors would have been removed and they would have drifted away from the shore promises of god's word what an hour that we should be sure about god's word never replace certainty with speculation and don't allow speculation to dial back your urgency and here's the reason why first thessalonians chapter 5 and verse 3 the apostle paul warns us about changing those certain things when we are unsure about where the future leads he says for when they shall say peace and safety then sudden destruction comes upon them as labor pains upon a pregnant woman and they shall not escape think about it would you want to be caught in the whirlwinds of a storm in a small rubber dinky or would you be one would you want to be standing on the shore foundation of the unmovable rock christ jesus the unmovable promises of his word so that as he said in the word the winds will come the rains will come and they will beat with ferocity but you will stand because you have based your life on the stability of god's word on the certainty of god's promise on the surety of the prophecies of god's word what happens sudden destruction will shock those who are focusing in the wrong direction that's why in these closing hours of earth's history i want to say it with urgency it is critical to pay attention to the direction of the storm why has it stirred my heart as a pastor because i am amazed i am amazed how christians exposed to the unlimited knowledge of the scriptures would consciously unplug and disable their reasoning capacity why am i saying that i'm hearing stuff in my church that i never thought i would hear i'm hearing people that i thought had clear minds and stable intellect speak as though that they have unplugged their reasoning capacity they have disabled their ability to see between light and darkness truth and error speculation and evidence of god's word and people are going down this oh lord give me help people are going down this conspiratorial path and speaking things that just don't make any sense and they don't understand that there's a storm gathering on the horizon people are succumbing to the polarization of nonsense the devil is having a party over distracted christians the argument which was once the blue state versus the red state is now being shifted and the controversy over mass wearing has finally replaced the controversy over who you're going to vote for and i want to tell you i'm speaking clearly i'm speaking directly as as vividly as i can the contention over vaccines has replaced the argument and debate over patriotism and i have to ask myself the question and i'm putting this question to you what on earth does a vaccine have to do with your salvation what on earth does a vaccine have to do with the truth of god's word but there are some that are so sidetracked they're contending that the vaccine will somehow lead to the mark of the beast lord wake them up before it is too late the hour is too late to allow speculation to replace spiritual scriptural stability but there are those that will hear this message and they'll say well i have a video or i got this email from somebody oh i found this on facebook and you got to watch this pastor i can tell you if i can tell you how many times people have sent me links to videos and i've said to them don't send me any video i'm going to keep my mind fixed on god's word because the bible says the lord declares the end from the beginning i'm not going down any man's rabbit hole i'm not following somebody who claims to have some kind of hidden secret that nobody else knows and if you listen to my videos somehow you'll be secure the only way that you're going to be secure is if you stand firmly on the unmovable word of god not a video not facebook not a twitter link or youtube link stand on the unchanging word of god that's why peter the apostle makes it so clear in second peter chapter 1 verse 19 in the king james version he said these words we have and i'm going to re repeat those words we have also a more sure word of prophecy not a video not a youtube link not a facebook post he says we have also a more sure word of prophecy where unto ye do well that ye take heed as unto a light that shineth in a dark place unto the day dawn and the day star arise in your hearts what is peter saying peter's saying i know what it's like to be in darkness i was there once myself i was i was at the place where i said i will never deny the lord and given a change in circumstances peter's saying i denied him before the rooster crowed three times i understand what it's like to be in a dark place peter saying i deny the sure words of jesus and i'm telling you from his experience peter is saying don't deny the sure words of god's word don't deny the stability of the promises that jesus has established for us to remain safe in this storm-driven society in this media tossed society in this speculative generation do not give up those things that are true for those things that have actually no aim but to keep you following in the footsteps of insanity one of my favorite writers oswald chambers pointed out the impact of what happens when you follow things that are uncertain in one of his devotions entitled beware of the least likely temptation oswald chambers cited one of our bible characters by the name of joab and i'm going to read a quote from this oswald chambers devotional he said this about joab he said joab withstood the greatest test of his life remaining absolutely loyal to david by not turning to follow after the fascinations and ambitions of absalom but here was the caution he said yet toward the end of his life speaking about joab he turned to follow after the weak and cowardly adenisia you have to read that stories in first kings chapter two it's an amazing story a man that was a strong military leader remaining stable focused on standing behind king david but as his life went on something happened the winds began to push him out of center he began to get off kilter and somewhere along the way he lost his bearing like a boat without an anchor somewhere along the way he ended up into the port of abandonment rather than into the port of security and first kings 2 and verse 28 says it this way a very amazing passage that shows how when you fail to understand the safety of your walk with christ somewhere along the way the place that people failed you might fail in the same place the bible says in first kings 2 and verse 28 then news came to joab for joab had defected to adenisia though he had not defected to absalom and then the bible says so joab fled to the tabernacle of the lord and took hold of the horns of the altar now what is the bible saying when they heard that joha joab had defected to edoniza they realized that wait a minute they began to trace joab's defection and realize that his hands were stained with the lives of two individuals he had killed two individuals and he thought after his crime that by holding on to the altar of the lord he would be safe although he had not repented although he had not asked for forgiveness and the sad reality of joab's life he lost his life in the temple he lost his life in the sanctuary they killed him at the place where he thought he found security what happened to joab he abandoned his security the observation of the text is because joab did not follow absalom it was unthinkable that later he would later on follow adonaija what happened listen carefully as we analyze joab's life the victory of his past i'm going to say that one more time the victory of his past failed to be a barrier to the failure of his future he turned his eyes away from the place where he was victorious and when he turned his eyes away from the place of his victories he turned his eyes toward the place of his failure toward his defeat joab failed because he was unaware of the direction of the storm he did not understand where his greatest test would come from joab did not prepare himself spiritually so when the storm came from an unexpected direction joab failed i got to pause and ask you the question today where are the storms blowing in your life where are you finding the greatest challenges in your walk is it in your marriage in your worship in your devotional life is it with your spouse is it with your children is it the tough forceful battle on sabbath morning to get up and go to church where is the storm blowing in your life are you taking the soft winds of this commonly calm society and saying well the world is just like it's always been i know the news has bad things but there's nothing really to be cautious about i know there's been wars in the middle east and there have been earthquakes and fires and floods and all kinds of things it's always been happening i'm not concerned about that well don't fall into the joab trap and fail to observe the direction of the storm the example of joab is as oswald chambers says he says always remain alert to the fact that where one person has turned back is exactly where anyone may be tempted to turn back and i'm seeing that in our church i'm seeing people in our church a church that proclaims the remnant message i'm seeing people that i thought had solid footing i'm seeing people that i heard proclaim with with without a bone of fear the the surety and the stability of the three angels messages i'm seeing them lose their job i'm seeing them walk away to follow these offshoot movements i'm wondering to myself what's happening well like joab they fail to realize that the victories of their past was pointing them to the foundation of their security and they turned their eyes in the wrong direction and they lost their footing they failed to realize the victories of their past pointed them to the security of their future what's amazing to me is the most sobering time is the time in which we're living the most sobering time in your life is after you think you have gone through the greatest test i'm gonna repeat that one more time you know some people say man i never thought i'd survive that the worst is behind me don't fool yourself if you think the worst is behind you you don't know the devil if you think you have faced the worst challenge of your life you are not on your knees as regularly as you should be or you're not in god's word because the worst is ahead of us the bible talks about a time of trouble such as never was the bible talks about those things that will not be shaken will remain the bible says that god is not just going to shake the earth but he's going to shake the heavens also and when the heavens are shaking men's hearts men's hearts are going to fail them for fear because they thought that the worst was behind them you ain't seen nothing yet the world hasn't seen the best that satan has unfurled yet and the church has not yet been hit by satan's shoulder missiles shoulder-mounted missiles they haven't seen satan's arsenal yet and friends if ever there was a time that we need to keep praying these are the hours the apostle paul in first corinthians chapter 10 and verse 12 says these words to those who think the storms are behind them he says therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall if you think you're standing you better allow the lord to retrofit you i'm mindful of what happened there in california many years ago when the embarcadero freeway buckled as an unpredictable earthquake hit the bay area it buckled like it was made of wafers it buckled like was made of little balls of wood it was not retrofitted in an area where earthquakes of intensity could happen at any moment i'm saying to you christian retrofit your life by prayer retrofit your life by studying god's word retrofit what this what does that mean you might say what does that mean well after they built the embarcadero freeway back they built they built metal bands around the concrete columns they wrapped the concrete columns in metal retrofits that means if the concrete crumbles the metal will hold many years ago when i broke my tibia bone in my leg and i had a cast the doctor told me afterwards he says when the cast comes off take your time to develop your strength again but then he said something that really shocked me and brought me to this very point he says that bro that bone that broke is stronger than the one that didn't break and i said well how's that he said because your body builds a calcified retrofitting around the bone that was once broken so that it could secure it that it will not break as easily the second time well friends you may have found broken places in your life and i'm saying if there's a place in your life where you broke in the past pray and study and prepare your life to be retrofitted don't take those fragile places for granted which brings me to my first point i only have two don't attempt to predict where the test will come from it is often the least likely thing that presents the greatest danger you might say that'll never happen to me if you're not praying and committing your life to christ on a day-by-day basis don't think that your boxing gloves are sufficient for the devil because you can't even fight an enemy that you cannot see but only by trusting god's word and reading the promises every day will you be able to be prepared for the battle when it comes don't attempt to predict where the test is going to come from well who better to remind us of that statement than the example of false security that peter allowed himself to be a victim of in matthew chapter 26 verse 31 there is an example in the life of peter that we should take note of and these things as paul the apostle says what happened was written for our examples upon whom the end of the world is coming got to look back in the bible you got to look at all those people that failed and find out where they failed and why they failed and then begin to prepare for the storms of the future matthew chapter 26 verse 31-33 points us to a man who didn't understand his own weaknesses matthew 26 31 the bible said then jesus said to them that is to his disciples all of you will be made to stumble because of me this night for it is written i will strike the shepherd and the sheep of the flock will be scattered look at verse 32 of matthew 26 but after i have been raised i will go before you to galilee verse 33 peter couldn't keep his mouth shut peter answered and said to him that is to jesus even if all are made to stumble because of you i will never be made to stumble i would put that in the category of famous last words i will never don't ever say never if you're not trusting in god's word don't ever say never if you're not praying every day because the frailty of humanity is the altar on which many of us have failed peter said even if everybody leaves you i'm not going anywhere well no one is more fragile than when he is unaware of his weakness peter had two blind spots the first blind spot was he was unaware of himself how well do you know yourself sometimes you need to sit down or maybe stand in front of a mirror make sure nobody's around because this could look pretty off the chain you can look like you're out of your mind if somebody walks in the house and you're talking out loud to yourself but you need to have a conversation with yourself to find out where you stand you need to say to yourself did i really do that lord give me strength not to do that again peter was unaware of himself look at matthew chapter 26 verse 34 and 35. the bible said jesus jesus said to him that it's to peter assuredly i say to you that this night before the rooster crows you peter will deny me three times the lord said at the peter and peter's response was as though jesus didn't know what he was talking about let me say something to you friends don't ever read god's word and say he doesn't know what he's talking about it doesn't apply to me i'm above that i'm not like that it won't happen to me if you're not trusting in god's word and taking god's word seriously then you are unprepared you are unaware of yourself because peter's response is evidence that he was unaware of himself look at verse 35 peter said to him given jesus advice now even if i have to die with you i will not deny you and so said all the disciples. the amazing thing is the lord was focusing on peter sometimes the lord will pull you out of the crowd sometimes the lord will say to you i'm not worried about the crowd i'm worried about you don't get focused on the crowd when the most important focus ought to be yourself examine yourself test yourself to see whether or not you're in the faith try yourself look at your own study life how much time do you spend reading the word of god how much time do you pray how much time do you get on your knees when the temptations are coming at you like winds out of a gun that has no empty barrels how much do you say father i'm weak give me strength at this very moment well friends i'll tell you pete didn't understand peter did not understand his first blind spot was he was unaware of himself but there was a second blind spot that maybe you could learn something from peter was also unaware of his adversary he was unaware of what satan was about to do you see satan had studied peter peter was a loudmouth he always was talking his mouth was in fifth gear his mind was in first he was saying things so fast he didn't even hear himself speaking he just had to say something he's that person that just can't keep his or her mouth shut and what they're trying to give people advice on they need to take that advice themselves peter was that kind of individual he was unaware of himself and secondly he was unaware of his adversary look at luke chapter 22 verse 31 to 33 and i'm reading in the king james version for these passages the lord said simon simon behold satan hath desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat but i have prayed for thee that thy faith failed not and when thou art converted strengthen thy brethren and verse 33 and he said it to him lord i am ready to go with thee both into prison and to death peter couldn't just keep his mouth shut instead of saying okay lord i hear you i hear you i i hear you the devil is coming after me thank you for praying for me what amazes me about this passage is the lord did not stop the devil from coming after peter now why was that sometimes the lord will allow the devil to shake your faith to show you that you are unaware of yourself and you are unaware of your adversary sometimes the lord will allow the devil to give you an upper upper cut or left hook or knock the wind out of you so your so your self-confidence will become confidence only in christ that's what the lord had to do with peter he had to break him where he thought he was strong he had to open his eyes where he thought he was not frail the lord says i'm going to let the devil hit you but i'm going to pray that your faith won't fail and i love what the lord said and when you are converted meaning you're going to be converted this is going to open your eyes you're not going to be the same peter and when you study the bible what you're going to see is that the lord had planned for peter to be the preacher on the day of pentecost but he was not going to allow shaky peter to preach for him at all he had to get peter's life right before he could put peter in the pulpit on the day of pentecost say that three times the lord had peter set to be the speaker on the day of pentecost and on the day of pentecost when it came peter preached with feverancy repent and be converted because he finally understood that conversion often comes on the heels of your greatest defeat he realized he was unaware of himself and he was unaware of the enemy the bible shows you how unaware he was peter was unaware of the direction of the storm look at luke chapter 22 verse 56 and 57 now jesus is arrested jesus is arrested he's being questioned by pilate being questioned by the religious priests he's been questioned he's being scourged he's being spat upon and peter now seeing the condition that jesus is going through things wait a minute if they identify me with him i might go through the very same thing and look what happens in luke chapter 22 verse 56 and 57 and the bible says and a certain servant girl seeing him as he sat by the fire looking intently at him because the fire lit him up said this man was also with him she pointed to peter said this man was also with him this man was also with jesus peter realizing what jesus is going through the bible says in verse 57 but he denied him saying woman i do not know him he said to the girl that identified him as being with jesus he said i don't know him let me make a powerful point peter was right he didn't know him you see if you really know the lord you wouldn't deny him if you know how much he loved you you wouldn't deny him if you know how much strength he makes available to you at the weak points of your life you wouldn't deny him peter was right he didn't know him and when you don't know the lord anything is possible when you don't have a relationship with god beyond what he has said and what he has provided you are fit to be just like the apostle peter you could blurt out in the critical moments of your life i don't know him well friends he didn't know him you know why he didn't know him because the storm did not come from being with jesus the storm did not come from just being with jesus it came from whether or not he knew jesus some people think because they go to church they're safe some people think because they go to sabbath school they're safe or you go to sabbath school all your life you can go to church every weekend whether you go on sabbath or sunday that's not the point the point is god has established a sabbath we know that but some people find security in just going to church that's the point i'm making and they think as long as i go to church i'm just fine well friends being religious and knowing jesus is not the same thing eternal life is not knowing about jesus eternal life is not just walking with jesus because as you see in the bible after the crucifixion and resurrection of christ cleopas and the other disciple was on the road to emmaus and jesus was walking with them from jerusalem all the way down to emmaus and they didn't even know that he was there so it's possible to walk with jesus and not even know he's with you that's what the bible says what's the difference between knowing jesus and and just being with jesus here's what john chapter 17 verse 3 says and this is eternal life that they may know you the only true god and jesus christ whom you have sent salvation is knowing jesus salvation is having the connection with god through his son christ jesus if you don't know god if you don't know jesus if all you know are the 28 fundamentals even if you know the prophecies backward and forward if you don't know jesus you're just like peter you're eating with jesus you're watching jesus perform miracles and change people's lives but you are on the cuspid of the failure of your journey because you are denying the very fact and you don't know yourself and you don't know your adversary you're denying the very analysis and diagnosis that jesus has about you the devil is going to try to sift you christian the devil is going to try to sift you husband wife young lady young man the devil's going to try to sift you he's going to try to hit you with the best he has but if you're not aware you're going to succumb you're going to crumble that's why i look at peter's life before and peter's life after and you'll find that after peter's conversion he revealed the key to spiritual security he now knowing that he had failed his eyes were opened clearly and he was able now by his new commitment not to the things that jesus gave him but to the man himself he was able to discover the keys that the lord gave him second peter chapter one verse four in the new king james version we read these words listen to what he says by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises in god's word that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust peter said wait a minute i am now a recipient of a divine nature only by having this divine nature allowing christ to live in me that's the only way that i can find security so now peter wasn't concerned about the storms because he had his eyes fixed on christ he had his hands in the hands of christ he was not walking with christ christ was walking in him he was walking in christ christ in us is the hope of glory us in christ is where our security is found after his conversion and deliverance peter then unfolded god's blueprint to fail your prevention the blueprint to failure prevention listen to the apostle peter this converted man listen to the place that he finds security second peter chapter one verse five to ten the bible says but also for this very reason now he begins to unfold the blueprint to security giving all diligence add to your faith virtue to virtue knowledge to knowledge self-control to self-control perseverance hang in there to perseverance to perseverance godliness look at what kind of life you live to godliness brotherly kindness how are you with your family with your children with those you worship with he says and to brotherly kindness love not because people are lovely but because you are allowing jesus to love them in spite of who they are and then he says in verse 8 of first second peter chapter 1 for if these things are yours and abound you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our lord jesus christ for he who lacks these things is short-sighted unaware of himself unaware of his adversary short-sighted even to blindness and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins and then he ends in verse 10 of second peter chapter one therefore brethren be even more diligent to make your call and election sure and i love this only peter can say this for if you do these things you will never stumble think about that a man that stumble can say if you do this you'll never stumble you know why sometimes you don't know how weak you are until you fail and sometimes you don't know how strong you could be until christ shows you the source of your strength peter i love the fact that the rest of his life there is no evidence that peter failed ever again why because peter realized i got to do these things so that i will never stumble again you know when people in a hurricane in typhoon prone areas know that the storm is coming they begin to do something that we should begin to do as we're looking toward the last days they begin to stock up on supplies for survival now i'm not saying start canning fruits and doing preserves and buying unlimited water supplies and you know go nuts and buy dried foods and saying well i'm going to have all the food i can because i tell you what when the time of trouble comes you're not going to be running with a backpack of fried of dried fruits and and preserves and and peaches that you have preserved in your in your pantry the only thing that we're going to be able to run on is the promises of god's word but people that are stocking up they understand that we've got to have preparation the apostle paul tells us that this generation is not prepared but he's saying to you brother to you sister to you christian this is the generation to get prepared and if you're not a christian he's saying you can be one and you also can prepare you also can give your life to christ because the storm is coming whether you want it to come or not the storm is on its way whether you are in denial about it or not the apostle paul says in romans chapter 13 verse 11 and 12 in the king james version he says and that knowing the time see what time it is in the world knowing the time that now it is high time to awake out of sleep wake up look at the news look at what's happening in the world look at the crumbling society look at the demoral look at the demoralizing atmosphere that's sucking in the minds of your children it's time to awake out of sleep pastor church member people that are just complacent christians it's time to awake out of sleep why the apostle paul says for now is our salvation nearer than when we believe you thought jesus was coming in 1980 or 1990 or 2000 and now you're in 2021 and he hasn't come yet don't fool yourself we're on the toes of the major prophecies and the last movements are going to be rapid that's why romans chapter 13 verse 12 says this the night is far spent the day is at hand let us therefore cast off the works of darkness and let us put on the armor of light you got to have on the light and i'll tell you why because the most valuable commodity during a storm are batteries and a generator when the storm hit the virgin islands my wife stocked up on batteries my wife and i stocked up on batteries and our church members got together and helped raise funds to get generators to my family in that hurricane-torn region down in the caribbean when we got down there with batteries and generators it was more valuable than gold they said finally we can have the lights finally we can have power and i tell you friends in the closing moments of earth history there's nothing more distressing than having no power and no light in your life nothing more debilitating than realizing you're in a storm and you can't do a thing about it this is the hour to get ready the storm is coming revelation reveals that the most intense storm is just before us revelation chapter seven verses one to three in the new king james version john the apostle says after these things i saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth holding the four winds of the earth that the wind should not blow on the earth on the sea or on any tree then verse two then i saw another angel ascending from the east having the seal of the living god and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea and listen to what he said saying in verse 3 do not harm the earth the sea or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our god in their foreheads he said don't harm it until i've sealed the people of god in their foreheads what is he saying until the truth is settled in our minds until our minds cannot be bought or sold until we have established a concrete position on the truths of god's word unmovable totally convicted totally converted until we get to that place where we are so firmly established on the truth of god's word and we've got batteries we've got power we've got light god's holy spirit is working in us until we get to that place we are not ready for the storm in the book education page 179 and paragraph 6 my favorite writer ellen white says she says angels are now restraining the winds of strife that they may not blow until the world shall be warned of its coming doom but a storm is gathering ready to burst upon the earth and when god shall bid his angels loose the winds there will be such a scene of strife as no pen can picture wow amazing there's a storm coming there's a storm coming and when that storm hits it's not going to be a category 5. i want to tell you according to man's measurement of a storm is going to be a storm that humanity has never ever anticipated a storm that will blow you into the kingdom or farther away from the kingdom a storm that will say everything you've trusted in has failed you or a storm that will say on christ the solid rock i stand all on the ground is sinking sand a storm that will remind you i am so glad i trusted god's word i am so glad that i determined to be in church when church is open to be there on sabbath when the sermons are preaching to be there when bible studies are given i'm so glad that the tests have come to my doctrinal beliefs and i could endure the test came to the things that i thought didn't matter and i now see that they matter friends not only beware of what's happening around you but my last point be aware of your strength you see this is a powerful point you might say wait not my weakness no your strengths because when you study the bible joable is one example and samson was another when you study the scriptures you find that the bible characters did not fall on their weak points they failed at their strong points satan studied their strengths to bring them down because the devil knew if i could break the strongest man all the other men are weak they would not even be a point of contention be aware of your strength if your strength is studying the bible don't take it for granted if your strength is prayer don't stop praying if your strength is attending church don't stop attending if your strength is being faithful in your marriage don't stop being faithful if your strength is listening to your appearance don't take your parents advice for granted if your strength is standing firm in a world that's shaky don't stop standing firm because the world is going to become more shaky samson failed at his strong point judges chapter 16 verse 5. listen to this and the bible says in the lords of the philistines came up to her that is to jezebel not to jezebel but to delilah the lord of the philistines came up to delilah and said to her they said to her entice him and find out where his great strength lies and by what means we may overpower him that we may bind him to afflict him friends the devil wants to bind you he wants to afflict you he wants to break you at the strongest point in your life he wants to study you like a scientist studying the latest germ he wants to find an opening into your heart and opening into your home and opening into your marriage and opening into your relationship with your spouse with your children and opening into the relationship you have with your lord and when you look at those who endured in the difficult avenues of life you find something consistent the three hebrews remain loyal even if it meant the furnace of fire they said we're not bowing to babylon's images daniel kept praying three times a day even if it meant the lion's den joseph refused part of his wife's advances even if it meant i'm going to go to jail job refused to deny god even if it caused conflict in his marriage with his wife she said curse god and die he said no i'd rather be afflicted and remain faithful peter was thrown in prison for refusing to stop preaching jesus and paul and silas chose faithfulness instead of incarceration they said i don't care if i go to jail i'll just sing at midnight when i go to jail friends they were prepared for the storm because their minds were fixed on jesus isaiah 26 3 says you will keep him in perfect peace whose mind has stayed on you because he trusts in you friends of storm is coming do you know the direction of the storm i say today you don't have to worry about the direction if your mind is on christ if your mind is on jesus you are safe if your mind is on jesus you are secure if ever there was a time to prepare for the direction of the storm the time is now god bless you [Music] so [Music] you

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Length: 58min 0sec (3480 seconds)

Published: Fri May 21 2021