Crusade For Christ, Atlanta, GA - "The Atlanta '95 Olympics"

is welcome to the crusade for christ for the crusade for christ is sponsored by the churches of christ you're cordially invited to join us here nightly at 7 30 pm at the atlanta civic center our national crusade for christ speaker is dr jack evans you do not want to miss this great man of god i'm going to talk about the 95 olympics in atlanta georgia now someone says preacher you are a year ahead because as of today july the 19th this city is one year exactly from the lighting of the great flame and the beginning of the olympics in atlanta georgia one year from today special shows on television and radio special ceremonies special articles in the paper and it was on this day that the committee the international committee olympics committee has sent out 109 official invitations to the countries that will be participating in the olympics next year so this is an historic day in atlanta because it is foreshadowing the beginning of the major event for the next four years that will take place here in this country known as the olympics and people are looking for the olympics signs all over the city 96 olympics delta has on its side on the side of each plane the official airline for the 96 olympics i saw some articles in the paper yesterday and today where some housing authorities and office complex and others who own apartments are telling the people who live in atlanta if you would just give us up lease your apartment or house or whatever to us in the best way that you can do it legally we will see that you will make a big profit because millions of people are coming to atlanta looking for somewhere to stay and the people asked the only obvious question that i would ask if somebody would tell me to get out of my house i don't care how much money you're talking about for two weeks three weeks a month six months where am i going to stay amen go out there and be a street person but at any rate atlanta is getting ready for the 96 olympics and it's good we're having this crusade in 95 because we couldn't do it next year everything in this city will be taken we couldn't afford to even look toward atlanta some of us the next year as far as hotel charges and things uh are concerned but someone may say we're a preacher why are you talking about the olympics in 95 well i want to show you that religiously speaking there are some people who are already running and we just want to look at uh uh how we should run in the olympics for god you think do you think this is the new thing to talk about olympics paul talked about the olympics in the text that i'm about to read the olympics had begun in 776 bc that's when they had begun and had gone for many many years and then they were stopped for a while and they were begun again again and then the roman empire came in and old theodosius wanted to get into the olympics and wanted to be a participant he was the roman emperor at that time and uh he wanted to participate in the olympics that had begun in greece olympia is in greece and this is where they started but in the roman empire when theodosius wanted to get into the olympics and participate corruption set in because he wanted to win every gold crown and couldn't play jax but the emperor had brought in corruption and then that was around 394 and then uh 1896 uh the olympics will be gone again and have come on down to 1996 and they are observing next year the 100th anniversary of that particular set of olympics many things that happened in the olympics of the world that i don't have time to talk about but most of you know that jesse owens came to the forefront of the world in 1936 when he showed that idiot hitler that a black man could outdo anybody else if he had the ability and that his color couldn't keep him from running fast and so it is that people are proud in the olympics when they win in each contest in the olympics only one person can get the gold one the silver one the bronze uh in each contest now there will be many gold silver and bronze medals but one in each contest now keep that in mind because i'm going to read paul's context of the olympics of his day and find out what's going on now paul says in first corinthians 9 verse 24 no ye not someone else go to ii timothy chapter 2 and verse 5 and hold that one for me know ye not that they which run in a race run all but one receiveth the grant the prize so run that you may obtain and every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things now they do it to obtain a corruptable crown but we and incorruptable paul was familiar and the people here at corinth were familiar with the races of the olympics and that's how they started out they started out with the races then they began to add other athletic activities and there are many many activities associated with the olympics now but when they started out in greece they were basically racists they had uh a motto swifter higher stronger but they started off with swifter who could run the fastest and they got into the weight lifting and the other games that they play but i want to show you a parallel in the olympics that came out of greece that are coming to atlanta next year i want to show you that just as paul used that analogy that tonight there are some people who are running in the race there are some who have qualified to run in the race and there are some religiously speaking who are running but they haven't qualified to be in the race i don't care how fast a man can run next year if he wants to win a crown where does he have to be atlanta he may be the fastest runner in the world but if he runs it in new orleans he can't get the crown there are rules and regulations about running and all of the other activities of the olympics what i like about the olympics before getting into the religious element something about bringing people together a 197 nations will participate here in atlanta men who hate one another nationally speaking will have to lay down their weapons of warfare right during the olympics get for me uh isaiah isaiah 11 6 but from the constitution the paper says here that the olympics in atlanta will be a festival of the human race showing that all nations languages and tongues will be coming together palestinians will share the olympic village with israelis bosnians croats serbs will leave the battlefield and meet on the playing field south african athletes will formally return to the olympic fold in force although the olympic ideal espouses peace harmony and ceasefires during the two weeks of competition it is believed that most countries will adhere to the spirit of the olympics listen to the plan and i'm trying to show you that if these people can do this church folk ought to be able to do it better if the if the palestinians and the israelis can lay aside their weapons for something that is harmonious don't you think church folk ought to be able to lay aside strife divisiveness fighting one another listen this is the plan the plan is to have a festival of the human race here for me daniel 7 13 also lucas said atlanta has the potential to be a pioneer in the healing of wounds between black and white rich and poor americans and non-americans old and young every ethnic group and every age that has divided the world will be coming to atlanta if everything goes well and world war iii does not break out he said then the world will remember them as the peaceful olympics in the new south in the city of martin luther king where for the first time in history every nation came together without excessive bickering that's from the atlanta constitution and so they are calling it the olympic the festival of human race the human race is coming together not the black race not the white race not the brown race not the yellow race but the human race but i could have told the editor of the constitution that we have another constitution that was in existence long before the atlantic constitution and our constitution says we have a festival of the human race for there is neither jew nor greek there is neither bond nor free there is neither male nor female for we are all one in christ jesus and that has been going on for nearly 2 000 years god has given us a festival of the human race all nations and languages and tongues serving him danielle chapter 7 and verse 13. 700 years before jesus came danielle looked down the stream of time and god told him something real i saw in the night vision daniel said i saw in the night vision behold behold unlike the son of man brother lee is not reading from the constitution now he's reading from the bible i didn't want anybody to get confused i saw him in the night vision oh and our kingdom that all people that what all people oh people nation nation and languages should serve should serve him his dominion his dominion is we shall not they'll come together in atlanta next year for a few weeks and then they will disseminate and go back to their countries and the shapes and the bosnians and the crowds will go back to killing one another arabs and the israelis will go back to killing one another the blacks and the whites will stay right here killing one another and the blacks and the blacks will kill one another the whites and the wife will kill one another why because they are not running on the right track you have to run on the right track isaiah chapter 11. beginning with verse 6 it's talking about when jesus would come into the world how men would learn to live together isaiah 11 6 the book says what the wolf also now notice the wolf the wolf he's not talking about a four-legged wolf he's talking about a man with a wolfish personality that means you act like a wolf in the worst outsole shall dwell with the lamb and the leopard and i notice the wolf the ferocious wolf dwelling in peace with the lamb normally the wolf would eat at the lamb and we have some people who have wolfish personalities and we have some who are sheepish isn't that right all right read it and the leopard lie down with the light down with the kid and the calf and the can and the young lad and the young lion and the fat lone demons together and a little child who shall shall lead them the cow and the cow in the bed shall feed shall do well shallow fish shall feed their young young shall put his hands put his hand on for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the lord the lord as the one with the covenant now he said whenever it happens people with all of these different personalities will come together and when the word of god is in their hearts that ferocious wolf will lie down with the little child little child shall lead them he went on to say that this thing is going to be so peaceful isaiah said let me tell you this about it they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks nation shall not lift up sword against nation neither shall they learn war anymore all right i said all of that to say this that we if we're going to make heaven our home we're going to have to be able to get on the right track but remember what paul said here in the text he said they which run in a race run all but one receiveth the prize so run that you may obtain now the difference here is that when one would run in that race in olympia only one person would win the prize the first one that crossed the finish line the difference is that in the race for heaven every man regardless of when you reach the line but when you get there if you're still holding on to the faith you will receive a crime isn't that right now i'm in olympia every man striving for masteries was temperate in all things but then paul says now they do it to obtain a corruptable crown that correctable crown was a garland that they would put on their heads and that thing would eventually dry out and would be there no more but he said we are going to receive an incorruptible crown and we have you know in churches of christ we have gone beyond that crown we talk about having a mansion a road and a crowd oh we'll have it we'll have it but i'll tell you one thing you have to do something and you have to do it right second timothy 2 5. the book says what nevermind also man's also struggle you have to follow the level nobody nobody can run in here to atlanta saying i'm faster than anything here so i want to just bypass the tryouts no no no no no the law says you have to try out you have to go into an elimination contest everybody who thinks he can do it can't do it i think i read somewhere where they try out for the 100 meter dash you have to run it in 10.6 seconds is that right john some close to it close to it john used to be our coach at southwestern tracking basketball right brother john this brother john gospel preacher gospel preacher used to be our coach because some of the young brothers used to tell me that our coach used to curse i was just told that's what i was told they come at me and say brother evans coach iverson is cursing he said he tells all the preacher boys when he gets ready to curse he tells the preacher boys go give me some water boy and then while the heathens were there say oh john with led on have you heard that had you heard that that was a long time ago that's a long time ago but you know coaches can get upset my son is a basketball coach now and i watch him i have to watch him but you can get upset the point is when you're under pressure to win you want to win but but all of us recognize and that's why we belong to these athletic associations and so on all of us recognize that we have to have rules and regulations you i don't care how good you are follow the rules and if you can't follow the rule and john knows this we've seen he's seen it and i have too some men who have come through southwestern excellent basketball players excellent track runners making records all americans and so on and they have such terrible attitudes that they can't get a scholarship anywhere it's not that they can't play but an athlete needs to show good sportsmanship you can run faster than anybody if you're going to curse out the umpire you won't be recommended by southwestern christian college i'm i'm just showing you that so and i've talked i've counseled with so many athletes and have told them you would have a great chance they're looking at your university of texas this universe but your attitude is so terrible you you have to have it all learn how to follow rules and regulations you play ball well but you go against every other rule of the school you have to you have to follow rules and regulations someone wants to know what am i talking about i'm going to show you because we have some people in religion tonight who are doing the same thing good people would would get a crown if they would just get on the track atlanta is building an olympic stadium it's going to cost hundreds of millions of dollars they're working on it right now i was reading about it today and when the olympics come here they will start in the olympic stadium run out will come running into that stadium with the flame the olympic flame and light another and there it will burn as long as the olympics are in session when it comes to going to heaven getting us ready for the olympics jesus came built the stadium he built the olympic stadium he said upon this rock i will build my church in the gates of hell shall not prevail against it and not only did he build the olympic stadium someone says here in atlanta it's costing hundreds of billions of dollars when it didn't cost jesus hundreds of billions of dollars it cost him his blood he shed his blood by the church of christ acts 20 28 acts 20 and 28 take heed unto yourself into all the flock over the which the holy ghost hath made you overseas to feed the church of god which he has purchased with his own blood we have the stadium built and thank god that not only did he build the stadium but he was the first runner he brought the flame didn't it he brought the flame the first runner built that then he ran all the way from heaven to jerusalem with the flame in his hand the cross the cross was the flame here's the flame it'll be here until the end of time and when the end of time comes he'll deliver the kingdom but right now the flame is burning someone says was he a marathon runner yes he's a marathon runner also marathon from marathon to athens greece about 25 miles and a man by the name of the deputies had to run it to tell the athenians that the greeks had defeated the persians the praisians were headed toward athens and they were had gotten as far as marathon and in marathon they were defeated a hundred and some odd uh losses by the greeks but about four thousand losses by the persians and so the people in athens were afraid that these thousands of persians were going to come on in and take athens and then they said let's just give up uh no no no milky 80s the general told fedibitis run on over to athens be happy the victory is ours and he ran and he ran 25 miles and he said rejoice the victory is ours and he died that was the first marathon my friends jesus jesus came down here and he had to run the first marathon because it looked like the devil had us it looked like the devil was winning he caught up with moses this matter right caught out with isaiah john the baptist thought he had jesus thought he had him he said i haven't jesus said you just have me for three days i'll be here for three days for my people because the bible said that he had to taste death for every man he thought he had him in three days but on that first sunday morning after the crucifixion god sent christ some help to come out of the grave the angels rolled the stone away and jesus came out with all power in heaven and in earth and so he said rejoice the victory is ours oh dear where is your sting oh grace where is your victory it's all over for death it's all over for death now he said since i have cleared the way i'm going to let others ruin get hebrews chapter 12. i'm going to let others run now i have helped them i've done the marathon for them i have brought the flame the flame and you know the bible says over in philippians 2 uh going forth with the f for going forth with the fire of life the which is the word of god we'll read it later but we are going forth with something but how can we go forth hebrews 12 and verse 1 the bible says what wherefore sin we are foreseen we also are we are also compassed about what's so great about the witnesses he's getting us set up for the race he's getting us set up for the race we have witnesses observing the race when they build that great uh con when they construct that great olympic stadium here in atlanta which will become eventually the home of the braves i hear but when they construct that it will be filled to capacity every person sitting in the pew will see will be one of the witnesses and after the hebrew writer had talked about all of the forerunners uh all of the men of faith he said now seeing we are come past about with so great a clown of witnesses let us do uh let us lay ourselves aside every week every week and the sins which does so easily he said if you want to run you have to lay aside some weight when when i stop when i when i stop hating what am i doing i'm laying aside a wage when i stop lying i'm running faster because i've laid the sun that way i'm gonna stop back biting and double tonguing i i'm running when i treat everybody right regardless of how they treat me i'm laying aside wait i have to run i can't run fast with hatred on my back i can't run fast with jealousy on my back i can't run fast with less on my back i have to lift side the wage so i can run you have any weights you have any weights you have any weights you want to run faster less size your weight i don't know what your weight is i know what mine is yours let me lay aside mine yeah every person has his own way you have to deal with your weight and so it is that i want to run i want a crown i don't want the silver i don't want the silver i don't want the bronze i want the gold crown i want to wear a golden crown so he said let us lay aside every weight and every sin come on brother foster run with patience jesus set before us back up again there all right let us listen to sin which does so easily does so easily somebody ran it before you so as you throw off your weights and you run looking unto jesus unto jesus the author and finisher of our faith he's the odd guy that's that's where it started he's the finisher that's where it is so if you keep your eyes on him follow him you make it looking unto jesus and finisher of our faith faith this means that the race has to be run by faith now you're saying amen i want you to stay with it because when i started talking about qualifying and when i started talking about being in the right place so you can run all you want if you're not the right place you're running you're running in vain because the book says you have to run it by faith and faith is direction from god romans 10 17 so then faith cometh by herod by the word of god too bad too bad this this ca this uh crusade is almost over i'm just getting warmed up but now read a little more who father john i notice what he says about the marathon runner the one who who ran ahead who told us rejoice the victory is yours he said who for the job that was set before him endure the cross he endured the crowd despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of god on high on the throne of god he has the crown god gave him the crown after he got it from the grave he said our power in heaven and in earth is given unto me he had run it for us and peter had to tell those jews on pentecost when they thought that jesus had died and was still dead peter said to them now i want you to let all the house of israel know that god hath made that same jesus whom you have crucified the lord in christ all right and christ god raised him from the dead now you have to go back to him if you want to run if you want to run in this uh olympic you have to be on the track of jesus now there may be some renegade tracks but they don't mean a thing you have to be on the right track in order to get the golden crown oh yes there are some renegade tracks denominational churches are renegade tracks but the book says if a man strive for masteries yet he's not crowned except he loud for life someone says now brother evans which law must you run by well let's find out how many laws there are i want you to go to uh philippians philippians chapter 3 and verse 16. now you know the olympic uh organization has what is known as the i o c the uh uh the olympic i mean the oic the olympic committee international committee the olympic international committee these people are not americans as such we may have one american on the committee but it's a it's composed of people from around the world they set the rules and the regulations for the olympics you just don't jump in talking about i'm good i'm good you don't do it like that they set up the rules and the regulations for every activity every activity they want to put politics out of it pure sportsmanship and they tell you that there are certain things you can do and certain things you can't do and some people get upset when some athletes violate the rules of the committee who was it that was it ben johnson that one with the steroids and and a lot of black people didn't like that no you they just did it because he's black no just it wasn't just cause he's black he just did the wrong thing black white yellow brown if you're wrong you're wrong you're wrong if the if the rule says no stair hearts no stairs it's an amateur thing it's not a professional thing as such so here it is that uh when the uh olympic committee international committee says the rules you have to follow the rule where am i going to heaven i'm going to philippians chapter 3 and verse 16. but you know before i read that uh philippians 3 16. i want uh also philippians 3 14. and let's look at that one too i pressed toward the mark paul said start with 13. he said i got uh i think you want to go out i think i even want to go up to 12 and come on down through that read it uh not as though i had already attained though i had already either were already perfect it was already passing but i followed after but i followed him yes that forgetting we're choosing christ the price the mark is in christ now if you're running in religion and you're not in christ you are running in vain now verse 16 nevertheless nevertheless where to where and to have already attained we as we have already attained let us walk by the same rule by the same rule that is mine the same thing the same things there is one room if you're going to run for the crown you have to follow the rule now the trouble with the religious world tonight is that it is not following the rule if all of us were to follow god's rule and religion there would be no such thing as denominations wouldn't even have them you may say well i'm i'm baptist i'm methodist i'm catholic i'm i'm seven dead i'm lutheran i'm episcopalian listen listen listen one rule does not make all those i'm in the things i've been in the olympics since 1954. i'm in the olympics and i'm running by god's room the reason i have to preach as i am preaching it's because i'm under rule i'm under rule i can't tell you how i feel about it you have to follow the rule and when the rule is said you have to follow that rule they've had some marathon races here in this country one in boston not too long ago well a young lady didn't even start at the original line you remember and she got waited until all of them got close to the to the line then she jumped in and somebody had crowned her at first somebody said this woman didn't start out right they went back and found that she didn't follow the rule they took the crown and they should have you cannot cheat and get the crown and you know if you can't get it away if you can't get away with it with men you certainly can't get away with it with god god's olympic field is the church of christ in order for you to run the race in the church of christ there are some qualifications that you have to meet you may say what what is what are the qualifications i'd like to just know some of them well i tell you one thing the first qualification is that you must become a disciple you can't even be baptized unless you are a disciple matthew 28 19. i know it says go and teach all nations another version says make disciples that's what the meaning that's the literal meaning from the greek make disciples in matthew 28 19 well let's let's make sure he has the power to say it start with verse 18 and jesus and jesus came and speak unto them and speak unto them saying same all power all power is given unto me it's given unto me in heaven and in heaven and in earth go you though and teach all nations all nations hold it now that's king james version who has another version that says make disciples who has another version that says make disciples all right read it again read it all right all authority in heaven and earth has been given unto me therefore go and make disciples that means it means the same thing but i wanted to use that word to show you that you can be a disciple and not be a christian but you can't be a christian and not be a disciple you are only qualified for baptism when you become a disciple a disciple is a student a learner and you must learn the word of god before you come to jesus jesus said in john 6 45 it is written in the prophets that they shall all the time of god every man who has heard and learned of the father coming unto me when you learn you are a disciple so you're not running until you're baptized right you're not running until you're baptized right all right this can't continue brother ben i'll go without you matthew 19. i'd rather acts 19 and hold it he said go you therefore and teach all nations because i make disciples of all nations baptize themselves in the name of the father the son and the holy and of the holy ghost baptized the disciples in the name of the father the son and the holy ghost teaching them teaching them to observe themselves whatsoever i have commanded you i'll be with you always even until the end of the world all right make disciples baptize disciples people are disciples before they are baptized this means that you must be taught properly before you are baptized you cannot be born again if you have not had the seed planted in your heart for god begets us with the word james 1 18 he begats us with the word got some weak need brethren among us around here saying that you don't have to know the purpose of baptism in order to get the results anybody told you that he's teaching false doctrine i don't care who he is he's teaching false doctrine inherent inherent within the word rebirth is the meaning of instilling the seed get from it james i'll come back to that other passage in a few minutes james 1 18 the book says in james chapter 1 and verse 18 read one eighteen his own will begin his house he has with the word of truth with the word of truth that we should be aggressive and the first creature of his creature creatures he begets us with the word now don't tell me that a man can be baptized having not been begotten we have some false teachers among us who are beginning to teach that i can take any time they say born again that is simply saying you must have a seed within before you can be born again god one brother one brother tried to use the analogy of a man who doesn't have his right mind he says said a crazy man can be baptized or rather a crazy man can take a bath he said because it's the soap and the water that cleanser man it's not breath it's not how the man is thinking it's the soap and the water can a crazy man take a bath and get clean i said yes he surely can a crazy man can take a bath because it's the soap and the water that will clean his body his mind does not have to be there but the only thing you miss is that peter said it is not baptism it's not the putting away of the filth of the flesh but the answer of a good conscience where a god is up here you have to you have to have it up here and these lazy preachers don't want to teach all they want to do is restore somebody from the denomination you can't restore anybody if he hasn't been stolen i hope i hope none of these preachers are guilty of that satan is busy the church is on the verge of another apostasy and these weak new lazy preachers do not want to get out and study just want to quote these pretty sermons that they memorized from some denominational preachers tate don't want to know the scripture that's easy on them preach a gospel preach a gospel that doesn't bother anybody someone says can the devil do that get from ii corinthians 11 3 and 4. satan is busy making people think that they are on the right track and they're not god has one track but paul had a great concern and i have that same concern second corinthians 11 3 the bible says what i fear paul said but i fear that's by enemies by any means as the serpent begotten as that old devil beguiled eve through his settlement through his subtleties so your mind should be corrupted is in christ he said i'm afraid you're going to let satan mess up your mind just like he messed up eve smiles someone says well what about adam adam was in it he said eve here well said why what about adam will i tell you why he didn't say adam adam was not deceived well why did adam protect particular forbidden fruit well he was just doing like many men do whatever that woman told him you don't you don't know how sweetly she was smelling and looking when she said here honey and if it's done in the right way in the right atmosphere you might eat a barrel of apples so i don't know i don't know all i know is she told him and she gave him to her husband and he did eat but i've said enough i have said enough for you to understand that if you are not on the track you cannot get a crown you want a crown in the book of james blessed is the man that endureth temptation yea when he is tried he shall receive a crown of life and then peter tells us that that crown is reserved in heaven for us when is the crown laid aside for us paul said i have fought a good fight i have finished my course i have kept the faith henceforth there is later for me a crown of righteousness which the lord the righteous church shall give unto me in that day but he didn't stop there he said but not to me only but for all that love is appearing you as the song says shall wear a golden crown if you stay in the race no no second place no silver no bronze everybody will enjoy the crown of life do you want it we're getting ready for god's invitation i believe you've heard enough to know that if you want salvation you have to get it lawfully and the law of the lord is perfect converting the soul this is god's law of conversion you believe that jesus christ is the son of god that's found in acts 15 7-8 hebrews 11 and 6 you believe you must repent acts 17 30. you must confess matthew 10 32 romans 10 9-10 and you must be buried in baptism as we read in the bible those people who had been baptized had to go back and do it like god said and that's what i'm telling you now you are running you may say well i've been i've been running for jesus a long time and i'm not tired yet you may have been running from jesus a long time because if you're not on the track you are running in vain you may be good i have many relatives who are in these man-made churches i love them they love me but they are on the wrong track you have to be in the place of activity as god has specified and that place is the church you must be in the church born again out of corruptable seed but of incorruptible seed by the word of god which liveth and abideth forever come on to jesus now you've heard enough you have heard enough you cannot leave here saying lord i didn't mean it i didn't know what he meant you know exactly what i mean and if you can understand the olympics that's that are coming up here in this city you can understand religiously that you have to follow rules and regulations and you have to be in a certain place to win now if you can understand that you're ready to come forward and qualify as together we stand will you come lord i want will you come today come to jesus thank you for tuning in to the national crusade for christ for the national crusade for christ has been sponsored by the churches of christ we ask you to join us each evening at the atlanta civic center at 7 30 p.m may god bless you him i jesus blessed and he still flow i love my savior he loves me

Channel: Herb Evans

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Length: 58min 50sec (3530 seconds)

Published: Sat Dec 12 2020