HOW ARE YOU DOING - Randy Skeete Sermon | Stream facts

for they shall be comforted blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see god blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of god blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake be glad for so persecuted they're the prophets which were before you ye are the salt of the earth but if the salt have lost his savor wherewith shall it be salted it is then forth good for nothing but to be cast out and to be trodden underfoot of men ye are the light of the world a city that is set on an hill cannot be hid neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel but on a candle stick and it giveth light unto all that are in the house let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven wherever you are watching us we welcome you we thank you for your interest in god's word for your love for truth and may the lord bless you as you listen to these words which i believe god has given me to give to you i am always delighted to welcome anyone listening who is not a seventh-day adventist wherever you are thank you again and may the lord bless you so much that you will want to come and fellowship with us again whether via this medium or by attending one of our churches in your local area i welcome all the little children who may be watching children understand much more than what we give them credit for so if they're little boys and girls watching thank you very much jesus at the age of 12 understood the truth of the bible josiah at the age of eight he was the king of judah and he did what was right in the sight of god there was a little boy who provided fish and bread which jesus used to feed five thousand so if the little children watching thank you very much for loving jesus and may god bless you through this message i hope i make it so simple that you will understand the message for today is how are you doing very simple how are you doing and i emphasize the you how are you doing before i get into that let me ask you to do three little things for me favor number one wherever you are preserve reverence because god is holy under all circumstances and in all settings so wherever you are preserve an atmosphere of reverence and god will be pleased favor number two while i'm speaking pray for me and say lord put your words in that man's mouth this is based on jeremiah chapter 1 verse 9 which says then the lord put forth his hand and touched my mouth and the lord said unto me behold i have put my words in thy mouth and i really and truly want god to put his words in my mouth why is that because jesus tells us in john 6 63 the words that i speak unto you they are spirit and they are life the words of god are living words the words created the universe the word raised the dead and so i want to speak god's words because my opinions have no saving value favor number three i want you to think as you listen isaiah 1 18 come now let us reason together saith the lord think as you listen it is very encouraging to me and perhaps to you to know that we serve a reasonable god it is a reasonable god who will invite us to reason with him it also means that god comes down and speaks our language and listens to us and so the bible says come now let us reason together seth the lord and i hope you will accept that invitation from god let's bow our heads now and pray father in heaven touch my mind touch my mouth touch me completely not for my sake dear god but for the sake of your glory for the sake of the beloved audience whom you love so much if i have offended you forgive me cleanse my heart dear god and my mind may i be a clean instrument in your hand grant me simple language father that those listening may understand the message you have prepared for them if anyone listening to my words father has contracted the coronavirus i ask in the name of jesus the great physician healed that person 100 their god not slightly or barely i as humbly heal that person or those persons 100 percent and let that healing creating that person a love for you dear god i pray for anyone else who's speaking right now put your words in that person's mouth i pray now i commit this service to your glory give us the blessing because we need it i pray in jesus name amen last night i did some tossing and turning as i wrestled with god on the question what should i tell his people now and some ideas came across my head i thought well perhaps i could talk about the beast and he's perhaps receives too much attention than he deserves i thought maybe i can talk about the ten plagues or talk about the ten commandments or talk about some aspect of revelation as it relates to daniel but i only received peace of mind when i finally decided i will talk to you personally do not view this as a sermon even though it is i want you wherever you are to understand that i am speaking to you not necessarily to the person next to you now the person next to you should understand i am speaking to him or her but i want you to understand i am speaking directly to you as an individual and our subject is how are you doing we're living in a tumultuous world my listening friend how are you doing multiple thousands of jobs have been lost because of the lockdown imposed upon society by covid19 have you lost your job how are you doing schools have been closed children have to stay at home complicating lives for working parents they now have to make arrangements to have the children supervised i ask you how are you doing because many have lost their jobs many are facing foreclosure on their homes and when i say many i mean millions and so i ask again how are you doing as you sit stand lie or listen to my voice there is a god for whom nothing is impossible when god told abraham he would have a son in genesis 17 verse 17 the bible says then abraham fell on his face and laughed because it sounded impossible to him because he was now about a hundred years old in genesis 18 when god told abraham again that sarah would bear a child for him the bible says sarah laughed and so we have man and wife laughing at god because what god said made no sense to them in the human mind with their limited finite restricted human thinking and so they're left now if i were to say to you that given the employment climate of this country because of covet 19 that god can find you a job you may laugh if i were to say to you that you're facing foreclosure and god can work a miracle to put that off you may laugh because in your mind it is impossible but the bible says for god nothing is impossible when sarah laughed god told abraham in genesis 18 14 is anything too hard for the lord it's a question that does not did not require an answer from abraham the answer was so obvious and god is asking you today right now my sister my brother is anything too hard for the lord you have to answer that and i'm sure your answer will be no god nothing is too hard for god in luke 18 verse 27 jesus told the disciples the things which are impossible with men are possible with god i'll say that again listen microscopically listen closely concentrate the things which are impossible with men or people are possible with god what your s state or your town or your township or your county cannot do for you god can do if he so desires the things which are impossible with men are possible with god can you believe that in the circumstances that you're currently facing psalm 84 11 no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly can you believe that whatever is good for you god will provide and so i ask you again how are you doing right now where you are before i go any further let me pray again father in heaven as i speak to those whom you love passionately give me the right words i pray in jesus name amen to get into the heart and soul of how are you doing let's look at a quality god has given to us genesis 1 we'll read verse 26 and god said let us make man in our image after our likeness let us make man in our image after our likeness this did not only apply to the character man was supposed to develop god's image was to be seen not only in character it was also to be seen in physical appearance it was to be seen in everything that humanity did prior to sin of course of course god still has that requirement now because he never changes his standards god's character his image his glory his likeness was intended to be reflected in everything the human race did the marriage union is a reflection of the image of god the headship of the man is a reflection of the image of god all of this was god's design that he would be reflected when he said let us make man in our image now there is a quality of god that he has given to us it is equality let me use the word it is a power that god has given us and that power is the power of individuality you are separate from and different from every other human being on the face of the earth i say that again i'll say differently god does not clone god is a god of individuality and uniqueness no two people are alike this is a quality and a power god has given to us the power of individuality and the power to make individual choices and individual decisions and i must trust this in this quality of this power of individuality because it is essential as i move into the heart and soul of how are you doing when god made adam and eve he did not make them together he made them on the same day but did not make them together genesis chapter 2 verse 7 the bible says and the lord god formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul that verse refers to adam only not eve eve was made in verse 21 and verse 22 and the lord god caused a deep sleep to fall upon adam and he slept and he took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh instead thereof and the rib which the lord god had taken from man made he a woman and brought her unto the man adam and eve were made at different times on the sixth day of creation god could have made them at the same time why not one of the reasons is god made them as individuals they had to make decisions individually to serve him they had to decide individually to obey god god made individuals it is something i love to stress because very often people will not follow god they hear the truth they are convicted by the truth but will not accept it because of what someone else might do or say or how that person might react we do not understand that god requires of us that we make individual decisions to serve him and to obey him and to walk in the steps of his son jesus christ and so god made adam by himself god made eve by herself yes we have responsibilities one towards another i can influence you and you can influence me yes this is part of living together but at the very foundation of the society that god set up were individuals individuality now having said that let's assume that you're listening to this program and you're surrounded by people your wife your children your friends while you may be surrounded by people god is looking at you and he's watching how you are relating to the words you're hearing what decision will you make when i arrive at the point of making an appeal how is your heart responding to the words you're hearing god is focusing on you steps of christ page 100 paragraph one the relations between god and each soul are as distinct and full as though there were not another soul upon the earth to share his watch care in the parable of the lost sheep in luke 15 the bible says from verse 3 and 4 what manner of you having 100 sheep if he lose one of them doth not leave the 1909 in the wilderness and go after that which was lost until he find it that parable teaches us several things it teaches us that christ came to save the only world in the vast universe that went astray the parable teaches us that if only one person on earth had gone astray jesus christ would have come the parable teaches us the importance god places on individual responsibility and the value the individual has to god and so i am saying again you may be listening to this presentation surrounded by others but god is looking at you when god spoke the ten commandments from mount sinai and it was jesus christ speaking for his father he said thou shalt have no other gods before me thou is singular thou shalt not make unto thee any given image that is singular when god came down to investigate the catastrophe in the garden of eden he said adam adam where at thou he did not say adam and eve where are ye that's plural where at thou he came to adam individually then he came to eve individually then he spoke to the serpent individually when he handed out punishment he spoke to eve individually he spoke to adam individually this is not to discount the group because god brought the first group together adam and eve god formed the first couple what i'm stressing as i try to address what concerns you may have is god forgetting me is god blessing others has god passed me by the answer is no because god begins with the individual and you may be the only one in your town who believes that god does not care but he cares for you god focuses on individuals in the book mind character and personality volume 2 page 423 paragraph 2. i'll give that reference again mind character and personality volume two page four twenty three paragraph two the servant of the lord writes the gospel deals with individuals i pause before i give you examples of individuals touched by the gospel the gospel deals with individuals in hebrews chapter 1 verse 3 the bible says who being the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person and upholding all things by the word of his power when he had by himself purged our sins sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high when he had by himself why was he by himself the father had temporarily turned away jesus knew that and he cried my god my god why hast thou forsaken me mark 14 50 the disciples forsook him and fled christ was all by himself he had to make an individual choice to stay on that cross he had to make an individual choice in the garden of gethsemane to go through that terrible suffering yes the angel gabriel came down and strengthened him luke 22 verse 43 but christ had to make the decision himself god his gospel is about individuals first and so the quotation mind character and personality volume 2. page 423 paragraph 2 says the gospel deals with individuals every human being has a soul to save or to lose each has an individuality separate and distinct from all others each must be convicted for himself converted for himself each must receive the truth repent believe obey for himself he must exercise his own will he no one can do this work by proxy no one can believe for you no one can repent for you this is an individual work yes there were times when the nation of israel repented all that meant was individuals repented my question for you again how are you doing there are seven billion plus people on the face of the earth god is looking at you there are seven billion police plus people on the face of the earth there are millions unemployed and god is noticing your situation you're all alone with four children your husband left you you're tearing your hair out trying to figure out how will i provide for my children god is looking at your situation and god is saying to you i can help when the father brought his epileptic boy to the disciples to be healed they could not heal him the account is in mark chapter 9. christ came off the mountain of transfiguration there was a brouhaha a commotion and christ asked what's going on and he was informed by the father i brought my son and your disciples could not heal him in verse 21 jesus asked the father how long is it to go since this came upon him and he said of a child and oftentimes mark 9 23 22 he hath cast him into the fire and into the waters to destroy him but if thou can't do anything have compassion upon us and help us now this is the father speaking an individual jesus said if thou canst believe all things are possible to them that believe and straightway the father of jesus cried out and said with tears lord i believe help thou my unbelief i believe this is a man i believe but all the faith he had was this you know god is a good god we say that all the time psalm 105 for the lord is good and this is absolutely true god is good but we ought sometimes to pause and reflect meditate focus on the extent to which god is good the bible says without faith it is impossible to please god hebrews 11 6 that man virtually said this is all the faith i had because he said lord i believe helped thou my unbelief he says i believe that he says unbelief his faith was small here is an individual with little faith but all the faith he had he put in christ and jesus answered his cry granted him his petition and healed his son help thou my unbelief wherever you are if this is all the faith you have put it in christ exercise that faith and with that exercise of faith say as that man said lord help thou my unbelief and anyone who utters that cry will not go unrewarded by god of mercy who is listening and watching my question to you which is the title of the message how are you doing let's go to john chapter 5. john 5 we'll read from verse 1. i read from the king james version of the bible it's my favorite version when i study i refer to other versions but for public speaking and memorization i just love the music and the language of the king james version before i read that passage let's pray again dear god hold me in your arms uphold me with your power let my voice be your voice my words your words i pray in jesus name amen after this there was a feast of the jews and jesus went up to jerusalem now there is at jerusalem by the sheep market a pool which is called in the hebrew tongue bethesda having five porches in these lay a great multitude of impotent fork of blind halt withered waiting for the moving of the water for an angel went down at a certain season into the pool and troubled the water whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had and a certain man was there notice the bible says there was a great multitude of blind halt withered waiting for the moving of the water a great multitude now the focus is on one the individual and a certain man was there verse five which had an infirmity thirty and eight years he had been unemployed a long time he had been sick a long time he had been searching whatever a long time this man had been suffering and there's someone listening to me who has been in an unfortunate condition for years fighting cigarettes for years hiking alcohol for years fighting drug addiction this man had a condition thirty and eight years verse six when jesus saw him lie and knew that he'd been now a long time in that case he said unto him will thou be made whole there were sick people all around jesus remember the bible says in these laid the porches a great multitude of impotent fork of blind halt withered a great multitude jesus zeroed in for reasons best known to him on one man thou be made whole let me put that in fresno english would you like your circumstances changed would you like a reversal of fortune fortune is not the best word but i'll use it would you like your life to take a different direction would you like your marriage improved would you like to see a difference in the behavior of your children jesus targets the man's conditions wilt thou be made whole the impotent man answered him verse 7 sir i have no man when the water is troubled to put me into the pool but while i'm coming another step if down before me at the question of jesus will thou be made whole he should have just said yes but god is so merciful so patient jesus listens his excuse sir i have no man the word or the expression i have no man simply means i have no person whether male or female to help me someone listening to me now you've come to the place where you believe not no friends or relatives are willing to help you you have no man no woman no human being no created being who can come to your rescue and you're up to here in trouble and distress and there's no one to whom you can turn and the god of the universe is looking right at you and via this message and by his spirit he has come to where you are and as jesus asked that man will thou be made whole when blind bartimaeus cried out thou son of david have mercy upon me jesus said what will thou have me to do unto thee what do you want when god puts that question to you god is giving you a blank check and he tells you write the amount i've already signed it in the blood of my son you write the amount here is a blind check a blank check what do you want and christ said to that man will thou be made whole do you want your sins forgiven you need a job are you sick you need healing tell god what you need regardless of who else is around you suffering tell god what you need we read verse 6 again he said unto him will thou be made whole the imminent man answered him sir i have no man when the water is troubled to put me into the pool there are some people whose condition make them close to helpless i say close to helpless because as long as god is on the throne no one is entirely helpless but from the standpoint of human assistance they are helpless i have no man when the water is troubled to put me into the pool but while i am coming as i make my feeble effort because i am so slow i cannot walk so i have to try to roll my way into the pool sick people who can walk they get in before me another step is down before me people are always getting ahead i submitted my application along with others they got a call for an interview i did not get one i submitted my application for medical school my friend was called i was not called i did this i did that along with others they receive responses i receive none while i am coming another step is down before me there's always someone ahead of me in this life jesus saith unto him arise take up thy bed and walk he did not say that to any other sick person gathered around that pool insofar as the bible informs us or the writings of ellen white why christ knows why and whatever christ does is right whatever god does is right the lord is righteous in all his ways and holy in all his works psalm 145 17 for reasons best known to christ christ did not heal anyone else but that man arise take up thy bed and walk that was the man's need to walk and immediately the man was made whole and took of his bed and walked and on the same day was the sabbath the pharisees said unto him that was cured it is the sabbath day it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed he answered them he that made me whole the same said unto me take up thy bed and walk then as they him what man is that which said unto thee take up thy bed and walk and he that was healed was not who it was for jesus had conveyed himself away a multitude being in that place here we have repeated that there was a multitude both sick and those not sick afterward jesus findeth him in the temple verse 14 and said unto him behold thou art made whole sin no more lest the worst thing come unto thee let me introduce a concept into this presentation it is frequently not welcomed but it's necessary jesus told that man sin no more lest a worse thing come unto thee in making that statement christ connected sin with sickness someone's saying well i haven't done anything wrong and i'm sick it may not be the result of your individual sin it may simply be that you live in a world of sin let me say it again sickness is the result of sin suffering is the result of sin christ suffered he never sinned but he carried our sins sickness is the result of sin suffering is the result of sin jesus told that man sin no more lest the worst thing come unto thee in chapter 8 of the book of john when jesus forgave the woman taking an adultery she said go and sin no more at the foundation of all suffering and sickness and misery is this thing called sin why am i saying that i'm saying that to introduce this concept to you as you listen to this message how are you doing before i introduce the concept let me pray father in heaven as i continue on the down slope of the message continue to give me your words and your thoughts i pray in jesus name amen in trying to deal with any crisis in your life whether it's job loss sickness family crisis nothing going right the first question you should ask is this something between me and my god of course if someone listening is is uh not a believer not as an atheist perhaps the person may not feel the need to ask that question but whether you're an atheist or not there's a god in heaven and i'm suggesting to you the first question to ask is there something between me and my god or have i offended god what have i done that possibly brought on these calamities upon me these unfortunate circumstances into my life david prayed in psalm 139 verse 23 24 search me your god and know my heart try me and know my thoughts and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting i say again the foundation the source of sickness suffering calamity unfortunate circumstances sin is a result of all of that and as i continue with how are you doing i want to introduce to you the very very real concept of examining your relationship with god first not the economy not the health system not whether you should wear or not wear a mask have i done something to offend my god sin lies are the foundation of all suffering i sometimes say it may sound silly it's not silly it's very serious people don't die of cancer they die because of sin you go back to genesis chapter 2 read verse 16 17 listen to what the bible says and the lord god commanded the man saying of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat of it for in the day thou eatest thereof thou shall surely die listen to the words of god in the day thou eatest thereof thou shall surely die god pronounced one penalty for sin and that was death he did not say thou shall be sick he did not say there shall be floods and famine and drought and disease and landslides and mudslides and typhoons and hurricanes and snowstorms all god said was thou shalt surely die all the catastrophes that flow or that beset humanity today are all expressions of thou shall surely die we know in genesis chapter 3 that god said to adam because thou has hearkened unto the voice of thy wife and has eaten of the tree of which i commanded thee saying thou shalt not eat of it curse is the ground for thy sake genesis 3 17 the ground was cursed because of sin god didn't tell adam if the day thou eatest thereof i will curse the ground he didn't say that he simply said thou shalt surely die but a curse condition is an expression of a dying society verse 16 genesis 3 unto the woman he said i will greatly multiply thy sorrow thy conception in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children not only painfully but when you see the lives the children lead sorrow will break your heart this is an expression of a dying world god only said thou shalt surely die but we have all these conditions that beset humanity because the foundation is sin how are you doing what is the relationship between you and your god is this something in your life that displeases god as i said earlier when adam and eve sinned god came down and spoke to adam individually god spoke to eve god spoke to the serpent he announced punishment to eve he announced punishment to adam as a matter of fact in genesis 22 to 24 god tossed the man out of the garden of course the woman went with him but he tossed the man individual why did god curse the earth because the man had seen individual how are you doing are you suffering are you sick there is a god in heaven who is willing wanting and waiting to transform your circumstances give your life to him now i'm not saying if you do not give your life to god he cuts off immediately i'm not saying that because jesus in his mercy he tells us in matthew 5 verse 44 that ye may be the children of your father which is in heaven in verse 43 for verse 45 sorry for he maketh the sun to rise on the evil and on the good and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust so god is so good the sun which represent life is given to the evil and to the good the rain which represents life is given to the just and the unjust so even though you may be unjust and evil and i'm sure you're not that but even though you are god still exercises mercy but god wants to do much more for you because god has blessings that are special his choices blessings and he reserves them for those who obey him and so i ask you again how are you doing have you lost your job have you contracted the coronavirus are you terribly sick has the doctor given you bad news have your children gone straight into the world is your spouse making your life a living hell how are you doing there is a god who is speaking to you individually his name is jesus here's what he tells you in matthew 11 verse 28 come unto me not to a church not at first but i need to say quickly he has a church when you come to him he will guide you to that church but he says first come unto me god is not a concept god is not a vapor christ is a living person he is divine he is human even as i talk about jesus he's watching me listening to me he has still his human condition he understands it is someone who understands your condition and can do something about it in his divinity he understands in his humanity and he says to you come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden i will give you rest our subject how are you doing this invitation is no different really from what christ said to the man at the pool of bethesda will thou be made whole in matthew 11 28 come unto me all you that labor and the heavy laden christ is saying would you like your burden lightened or removed would you like me to carry it for you you have to say individually yes and jesus says come let's see how open-minded jesus is and broad-minded as we continue how are you doing listen to the words closely come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden i will give you rest what does it mean by all ye that labor males females white black hispanic or latino or latina native american european asian educated uneducated rich poor despised beloved employed unemployed jesus says come but god's invitation is individual and so he's saying to you come let's talk about your unemployment come let's talk about your sickness come we will talk about it i will do something about it come unto me all ye that labor and the heavy laden i will give you rest now when jesus says i will give you rest you need to understand that jesus says of himself in john 14 verse 6 i am the way the truth christ cannot lie titus chapter 1 verse 2 which god that cannot lie promised god cannot lie god does not lie and since christ is just like god christ does not lie and he says come to me come you may be listening to me seated in a wheelchair and i speak with great respect you don't have to move you come to god here and here and jesus says come to me all you that labor and a heavy laden i will give you rest take my yoke upon you and learn of me for i am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest unto your souls my yoke is easy my burden is light following christ is taking on a light burden let me say that again following christ is the act of taking on a light burden and we give him our burden when christ came by where john the baptist was baptizing in john 1 29 john the baptist said to the listening crowd behold the lamb of god which taketh away the sins of the world the word taketh away simply means to carry as to carry a load he bears it away when i travel in airports or going through airports i always smile when i see a man in a suit with a backpack just doesn't seem right to me a man in a suit and with a backpack backpacks are ubiquitous you see them everywhere people carry these backpacks jesus carries the backpack of our burdens and so john said behold the lamb of god that carries the burdens of the world and the greatest burden you can carry if we listen to the words of christ come on to me all ye that labor and a heavy laden and i will give you rest the greatest burden you and i can carry is the burden of sin as i told you earlier all god said was in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die but we have all these calamities sickness suffering floods disease whatever else all these things are expressions of a dying world then if we come to god the number one thing we need is the removal of the burden of sin because with the departure of sin goes several although several burdens and calamities as long as we live in this earth we will have troubles and trials yes god allows some for our the testing of our faith but someone walking hand in hand with god will not experience the same troubles as someone who does not walk with god if that were the case where is the advantage of walking with god yes god's people have troubles yes they'll have trials yes they'll have tribulations but they will be managed by god now let me tell you something about god it's a psychological principle but the true principles of psychology are in the bible if your burden is to carry this and god sees it is necessary for the perfection of your character that you carry this burden god will change the way you see the burden he changes the mind for example here am i walking across a plane and i come across a mountain i have to get over that mountain to continue my journey i'm depressed i'm discouraged i'm sad i'm frustrated hey this mountain is getting on my nerves here comes a mountain climber who's also walking and he sees the mountain and his response his reaction is different he breaks into a smile because as a mountain climber he sees a mountain has an exciting challenge and he just can't wait to determine which face of the mountain he will use to climb to reach the summit while i not a mountain climber i'm depressed and i'm sitting down in my tears wishing the mountain would vanish god changes our minds and so we may see our circumstances different whether he changes the mind or he changes the circumstances or he changes both because god knows what's best for us god is willing as i said waiting wanting to ameliorate improve your circumstances and as i come to the end of the message i appeal to you from my heart as someone who has to lean on god someone who needs the divine working in my life day by day moment by moment it is not necessary to remain in your misery it is not necessary at all because there's a god you see misery does not come from god suffering is not of god god is a god of blessing suffering is a result of sin it is not necessary for someone to remain in his or suffering there is a god who is willing to change your circumstances and all i'm saying to you is in the presence of god and by the power of his word come to god you may say but i'm a christian recommit your life to god consider this concept in the bible death is represented by asleep which means last night you and i were dead in a certain sense we were dead to the world we knew not what was happening someone could have come into the bedroom or wherever we slept slit our throats stolen our money stolen our cell phones we had no clue we were asleep we were dead symbolically sleep is death then when we wake in the morning we can see that as a new life a brand new life a resurrection to a new day in that sense every day is a brief little lifetime it ends with death then god by his mercy gives us another lifetime which is a day today is a new lifetime for you it is brief i'm saying to you today give your life to god last night all over the world including where you are people went to sleep and i say this often they were found dead this morning every morning people found dead in hospitals on the streets in homeless shelters in private homes on the battlefield every morning around the world people who go to bed the night before are found dead now you and i went to bed last night we're alive today what am i trying to say god has chosen to preserve our lives another day and i'm saying to you this may be the day when god is saying my son my daughter come give your life to me put your life in my hand because anything in my hand i can defend i can sustain i can nourish i can protect give him your life our subject was how are you doing right now as i close this message talk to god tell god i need a job someone wrote me on uh what's it what's that last night i believe it was i'm through with all this god stuff this christianity stuff i am a defeated man i wrote back quickly why god doesn't answer my prayer i have weakness this weakness that weakness i fall i fall i cannot stop so i wrote him in some bible verses and a chapter from steps of christ he wrote back this morning with a sample of what he read he said i found this very encouraging and i sent him an audio recording and he wrote back thank you very much this was encouraging and i'm praying for him and i want him to know there's a god who can pull him from the brink wherever you are give this to god there's one good reason you must give this to god this is your life your heart because it belongs to him he is creator and his savior the bible says in first corinthians 6 20 for year bought with a price the bible says in psalm 24 verse 1 the earth is the lord's and the fullness thereof the world and they that dwell therein you belong to god and so in giving your life to god you're just giving him what is his tell god you need a job you've been out of work for years tell god you're suffering tell god you're under persecution on the job tell god you've been outcast or cast out by your family members tell god you're all alone and desperate for social support tell god what's going on because god is asking you as jesus asked that man and as jesus asked blind bartimaeus how are you doing you can tell god i'm doing badly and i need help and as surely as that man in mark 9 told jesus if thou can't do anything have compassion on us and help us you say to god if you are god and say it respectfully have compassion on me in my circumstances and help me and as i close by faith listen to god saying to you how are you doing tell him not well i need help and you will hear him say come unto me you individually you're laboring you're heavy laden and i the create of heaven and earth for whom nothing is impossible will give you rest may the lord bless blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see god blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of god blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake be glad for so persecuted they're the prophets which were before you ye are the salt of the earth but if the salt have lost his sava wherewith shall it be salted it is then forth good for nothing but to be cast out and to be trodden under foot of men ye are the light of the world a city that is set on an hill cannot be hid neither do men like to candle and put it under a bushel but on a candle stick and it giveth light unto all that are in the house let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven wherever you are watching us we welcome you we thank you for your interest in god's word for your love for truth and may the lord bless you as you listen to these words which i believe god has given me to give to you i am always delighted to welcome anyone listening who is not a seventh-day adventist wherever you are thank you again and may the lord bless you so much that you will want to come and fellowship with us again whether via this medium or by attending one of our churches in your local area i welcome all the little children who may be watching children understand much more than what we give them credit for so if they're little boys and girls watching thank you very much jesus at the age of 12 understood the truth of the bible josiah at the age of eight he was the king of judah and he did what was right in the sight of god there was a little boy who provided fish and bread which jesus used to feed five thousand so if the little children watching thank you very much for loving jesus and may god bless you through this message i hope i make it so simple that you will understand the message for today is how are you doing very simple how are you doing and i emphasize the you how are you doing before i get into that let me ask you to do three little things for me favor number one wherever you are preserve reverence because god is holy under all circumstances and in all settings so wherever you are preserve an atmosphere of reverence and god will be pleased favor number two while i'm speaking pray for me and say lord put your words in that man's mouth this is based on jeremiah chapter 1 verse 9 which says then the lord put forth his hand and touched my mouth and the lord said unto me behold i have put my words in thy mouth and i really and truly want god to put his words in my mouth why is that because jesus tells us in john 6 63 the words that i speak unto you they are spirit and they are life the words of god are living words the words created the universe the word raised the dead and so i want to speak god's words because my opinions have no saving value favor number three i want you to think as you listen isaiah 1 18 come now let us reason together saith the lord think as you listen it is very encouraging to me and perhaps to you to know that we serve a reasonable god it is a reasonable god who will invite us to reason with him it also means that god comes down and speaks our language and listens to us and so the bible says come now let us reason together seth the lord and i hope you will accept that invitation from god let's bow our heads now and pray father in heaven touch my mind touch my mouth touch me completely not for my sake there god but for the sake of your glory for the sake of the beloved audience whom you love so much if i have offended you forgive me cleanse my heart dear god and my mind may i be a clean instrument in your hand grant me simple language father that those listening may understand the message you have prepared for them if anyone listening to my words father has contracted the coronavirus i ask in the name of jesus the great physician healed that person 100 their god not slightly or barely i as humbly heal that person or those persons 100 and let that healing creating that person a love for you dear god i pray for anyone else who's speaking right now put your words in that person's mouth i pray now i commit this service to your glory give us the blessing because we need it i pray in jesus name amen last night i did some tossing and turning as i wrestled with god on the question what should i tell his people now and some ideas came across my head i thought well perhaps i could talk about the beast and he's perhaps receives too much attention than he deserves i thought maybe i can talk about the ten plagues or talk about the ten commandments or talk about some aspect of revelation as it relates to daniel but i only received peace of mind when i finally decided i will talk to you personally do not view this as a sermon even though it is i want you wherever you are to understand that i am speaking to you not necessarily to the person next to you now the person next to you should understand i am speaking to him or her but i want you to understand i am speaking directly to you as an individual and our subject is how are you doing we're living in a tumultuous world my listening friend how are you doing multiple thousands of jobs have been lost because of the lockdown imposed upon society by covid19 have you lost your job how are you doing schools have been closed children have to stay at home complicating lives for working parents they now have to make arrangements to have the children supervised i ask you how are you doing because many have lost their jobs many are facing foreclosure on their homes and when i say many i mean millions and so i ask again how are you doing as you sit stand lie or listen to my voice there is a god for whom nothing is impossible when god told abraham he would have a son in genesis 17 verse 17 the bible says then abraham fell on his face and laughed because it sounded impossible to him because he was now about a hundred years old in genesis 18 when god told abraham again that sarah would bear a child for him the bible says sarah laughed and so we have man and wife laughing at god because what god said made no sense to them in the human mind with their limited finite restricted human thinking and so they're left now if i were to say to you that given the employment climate of this country because of covet 19 that god can find you a job you may laugh if i were to say to you that you're facing foreclosure and god can work a miracle to put that off you may laugh because in your mind it is impossible but the bible says for god nothing is impossible when sarah laughed god told abraham in genesis 18 14 is anything too hard for the lord it's a question that does not did not require an answer from abraham the answer was so obvious and god is asking you today right now my sister my brother is anything too hard for the lord you have to answer that and i'm sure your answer will be no god nothing is too hard for god in luke 18 verse 27 jesus told the disciples the things which are impossible with men are possible with god i'll say that again listen microscopically listen closely concentrate the things which are impossible with men or people are possible with god what your s state or your town or your township or your county cannot do for you god can do if he so desires the things which are impossible with men are possible with god can you believe that in the circumstances that you're currently facing psalm 84 11 no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly can you believe that whatever is good for you god will provide and so i ask you again how are you doing right now where you are before i go any further let me pray again father in heaven as i speak to those whom you love passionately give me the right words i pray in jesus name amen to get into the heart and soul of how are you doing let's look at a quality god has given to us genesis 1 we'll read verse 26 and god said let us make man in our image after our likeness let us make man in our image after our likeness this did not only apply to the character man was supposed to develop god's image was to be seen not only in character it was also to be seen in physical appearance it was to be seen in everything that humanity did prior to sin of course of course god still has that requirement now because he never changes his standards god's character his image his glory his likeness was intended to be reflected in everything the human race did the marriage union is a reflection of the image of god the headship of the man is a reflection of the image of god all of this was god's design that he would be reflected when he said let us make man in our image now there is a quality of god that he has given to us it is a quality let me use the word it is a power that god has given us and that power is the power of individuality you are separate from and different from every other human being on the face of the earth i say that again i'll say differently god does not clone god is a god of individuality and uniqueness no two people are alike this is a quality and a power god has given to us the power of individuality and the power to make individual choices and individual decisions and i must trust this in this quality of this power of individuality because it is essential as i move into the heart and soul of how are you doing when god made adam and eve he did not make them together he made them on the same day but did not make them together genesis chapter 2 verse 7 the bible says and the lord god formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul that verse refers to adam only not to eve eve was made in verse 21 and verse 22 and the lord god caused a deep sleep to fall upon adam and he slept and he took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh instead thereof and the rib which the lord god had taken from man made he a woman and brought her unto the man adam and eve were made at different times on the sixth day of creation god could have made them at the same time why not one of the reasons is god made them as individuals they had to make decisions individually to serve him they had to decide individually to obey god god made individuals it is something i love to stress because very often people will not follow god they hear the truth they are convicted by the truth but will not accept it because of what someone else might do or say or how that person might react we do not understand that god requires of us that we make individual decisions to serve him and to obey him and to walk in the steps of his son jesus christ and so god made adam by himself god made eve by herself yes we have responsibilities one towards another i can influence you and you can influence me yes this is part of living together but at the very foundation of the society that god set up were individuals individuality now having said that let's assume that you're listening to this program and you're surrounded by people your wife your children your friends while you may be surrounded by people god is looking at you and he's watching how you are relating to the words you're hearing what decision will you make when i arrive at the point of making an appeal how is your heart responding to the words you're hearing god is focusing on you steps of christ page 100 paragraph one the relations between god and each soul are as distinct and full as though there were not another soul upon the earth to share his watch care in the parable of the lost sheep in luke 15 the bible says from verse 3 and 4 what manner of you having 100 sheep if he lose one of them doth not leave the 1909 in the wilderness and go after that which was lost until he find it that parable teaches us several things it teaches us that christ came to save the only world in the vast universe that went astray the parable teaches us that if only one person on earth had gone astray jesus christ would have come the parable teaches us the importance god places on individual responsibility and the value the individual has to god and so i am saying again you may be listening to this presentation surrounded by others but god is looking at you when god spoke the ten commandments from mount sinai and it was jesus christ speaking for his father he said thou shalt have no other gods before me thou is singular thou shalt not make unto thee any griffin image that is singular when god came down to investigate the catastrophe in the garden of eden he said to adam adam where at thou he did not say adam and eve where are ye that's plural where at thou he came to adam individually then he came to eve individually then he spoke to the serpent individually when he handed out punishment he spoke to eve individually he spoke to adam individually this is not to discount the group because god brought the first group together adam and eve god formed the first couple what i'm stressing as i try to address what concerns you may have is god forgetting me is god blessing others has god passed me by the answer is no because god begins with the individual and you may be the only one in your town who believes that god does not care but he cares for you god focuses on individuals in the book mind character and personality volume 2 page 423 paragraph 2. i'll give that reference again mind character and personality volume 2. page 423 paragraph 2 the servant of the lord writes the gospel deals with individuals i pause before i give you examples of individuals touched by the gospel the gospel deals with individuals in hebrews chapter 1 verse 3 the bible says who being the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person and upholding all things by the word of his power when he had by himself purged our sins sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high when he had by himself why was he by himself the father had temporarily turned away jesus knew that and he cried my god my god why hast thou forsaken me mark 14 50 the disciples forsook him and fled christ was all by himself he had to make an individual choice to stay on that cross he had to make an individual choice in the garden of gethsemane to go through that terrible suffering yes the angel gabriel came down and strengthened him luke 22 verse 43 but christ had to make the decision himself god his gospel is about individuals first and so the quotation mind character and personality volume 2. page 423 paragraph 2 says the gospel deals with individuals every human being has a soul to save or to lose each has an individuality separate and distinct from all others each must be convicted for himself converted for himself each must receive the truth repent believe obey for himself he must exercise his own will he no one can do this work by proxy no one can believe for you no one can repent for you this is an individual work yes there were times when the nation of israel repented all that meant was individuals repented my question for you again how are you doing there are seven billion plus people on the face of the earth god is looking at you there are seven billion police plus people on the face of the earth there are millions unemployed and god is noticing your situation you're all alone with four children your husband left you you're tearing your hair out trying to figure out how will i provide for my children god is looking at your situation and god is saying to you i can help when the father brought his epileptic boy to the disciples to be healed they could not heal him the account is in mark chapter 9. christ came off the mountain of transfiguration there was a brouhaha a commotion and christ asked what's going on and he was informed by the father i brought my son and your disciples could not heal him in verse 21 jesus asked the father how long is it to go since this came upon him and he said of a child and often times mark 9 23 22 he hath cast him into the fire and into the waters to destroy him but if thou canst do anything have compassion upon us and help us now this is the father speaking an individual jesus said if thou canst believe all things are possible to them that believe and straightway the father cried out and said with tears lord i believe help thou my unbelief i believe this is a man i believe but all the faith he had was this you know god is a good god we say that all the time psalm 105 for the lord is good and this is absolutely true god is good but we ought sometimes to pause and reflect meditate focus on the extent to which god is good the bible says without faith it is impossible to please god hebrews 11 6 that man virtually said this is all the faith i had because he said lord i believe helped thou my unbelief he says i believe that he says unbelief his faith was small here is an individual with little faith but all the faith he had he put in christ and jesus answered his cry granted him his petition and healed his son help thou my unbelief wherever you are if this is all the faith you have put it in christ exercise that faith and with that exercise of faith say as that man said lord help thou my unbelief and anyone who utters that cry will not go unrewarded by god of mercy who is listening and watching my question to you which is the title of the message how are you doing let's go to john chapter 5 john 5 we'll read from verse 1. i read from the king james version of the bible it's my favorite version when i study i refer to other versions but for public speaking and memorization i just love the music and the language of the king james version before i read that passage let's pray again dear god hold me in your arms uphold me with your power let my voice be your voice my words your words i pray in jesus name amen after this there was a feast of the jews and jesus went up to jerusalem now there is at jerusalem by the sheep market a pool which is called in the hebrew tongue bethesda having five porches in these lay a great multitude of impotent fork of blind halt withered waiting for the moving of the water for an angel went down at a certain season into the pool and troubled the water whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had and a certain man was there notice the bible says there was a great multitude of blind halt withered waiting for the moving of the water a great multitude now the focus is on one the individual and a certain man was there verse five which had an infirmity thirty and eight years he had been unemployed a long time he had been sick a long time he had been searching whatever a long time this man had been suffering and there's someone listening to me who has been in an unfortunate condition for years fighting cigarettes for years hiking alcohol for years fighting drug addiction this man had a condition thirty and eight years verse 6 when jesus saw him lie and knew that he'd been now a long time in that case he said unto him will thou be made whole there were sick people all around jesus remember the bible says in these laid the porches a great multitude of impotent fork of blind halt withered a great multitude jesus zeroed in for reasons best known to him on one man will thou be made whole let me put that in fresno english would you like your circumstances changed would you like a reversal of fortune fortune is not the best word but i'll use it would you like your life to take a different direction would you like your marriage improved would you like to see a difference in the behavior of your children jesus targets the man's conditions wilt thou be made whole the impotent man answered him verse 7 sir i have no man when the water is troubled to put me into the pool but while i'm coming another step is down before me at the question of jesus will thou be made whole he should have just said yes but god is so merciful so patient jesus listens his excuse sir i have no man the word or the expression i have no man simply means i have no person whether male or female to help me someone listening to me now you've come to the place where you believe not no friends or relatives are willing to help you you have no man no woman no human being no created being who can come to your rescue and you're up to here in trouble and distress and there's no one to whom you can turn and the god of the universe is looking right at you and via this message and by his spirit he has come to where you are and as jesus asked that man will thou be made whole when blind bartimaeus cried out thou son of david have mercy upon me jesus said what will thou have me to do unto thee what do you want when god puts that question to you god is giving you a blank check and he tells you write the amount i've already signed it in the blood of my son you write the amount here is a blind check a blank check what do you want and christ said to that man will thou be made whole do you want your sins forgiven you need a job are you sick you need healing tell god what you need regardless of who else is around you suffering tell god what you need we read verse 6 again he said unto him will thou be made whole the impotent man answered him sir i have no man when the water is troubled to put me into the pool there are some people whose condition make them close to helpless i say close to helpless because as long as god is on the throne no one is entirely helpless but from the standpoint of human assistance they are helpless i have no man when the water is troubled to put me into the pool but while i am coming as i make my feeble effort because i am so slow i cannot walk so i have to try to roll my way into the pool sick people who can walk they get in before me another step is down before me people are always getting ahead i submitted my application along with others they got a call for an interview i did not get one i submitted my application for medical school my friend was called i was not called i did this i did that along with others they receive responses i receive none while i am coming another step is down before me there's always someone ahead of me in this life jesus saith unto him arise take up thy bed and walk he did not say that to any other sick person gathered around that pool insofar as the bible informs us or the writings of ellen white why christ knows why or whatever christ does is right whatever god does is right the lord is righteous in all his ways and holy in all his works psalm 145 17 for reasons best known to christ christ did not heal anyone else but that man arise take up thy bed and walk that was the man's need to walk and immediately the man was made whole and took up his bed and walked and on the same day was the sabbath the pharisees said unto him that was cured it is the sabbath day it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed he answered them he that made me whole the same said unto me take up thy bed and walk then as they him what man is that which said unto thee take up thy bed and walk and he that was healed was not who it was for jesus had conveyed himself away a multitude being in that place here we have repeated that there was a multitude both sick and those not sick afterward jesus findeth him in the temple verse 14 and said unto him behold thou art made whole sin no more lest the worst thing come unto thee let me introduce a concept into this presentation it is frequently not welcome but it's necessary jesus told that man sin no more lest a worse thing come unto thee in making that statement christ connected sin with sickness someone's saying well i haven't done anything wrong and i'm sick it may not be the result of your individual sin it may simply be that you live in a world of sin let me say it again sickness is the result of sin suffering is the result of sin christ suffered he never sinned but he carried our sins sickness is the result of sin suffering is the result of sin jesus told that man sin no more lest the worst thing come unto thee in chapter 8 of the book of john when jesus forgave the woman taking in adultery he said go and sin no more at the foundation of all suffering and sickness and misery is this thing called sin why am i saying that i'm saying that to introduce this concept to you as you listen to this message how are you doing before i introduce the concept let me pray father in heaven as i continue on the down slope of the message continue to give me your words and your thoughts i pray in jesus name amen in trying to deal with any crisis in your life whether it's job loss sickness family crisis nothing going right the first question you should ask is this something between me and my god of course if someone listening is is uh not a believer not a is an atheist perhaps the person may not feel the need to ask that question but whether you're an atheist or not there's a god in heaven and i'm suggesting to you the first question to ask is this something between me and my god or have i offended god what have i done that possibly brought on these calamities upon me these unfortunate circumstances into my life david prayed in psalm 139 verse 23 24 search me your god and know my heart try me and know my thoughts and see if there'll be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting i say again the foundation the source of sickness suffering calamity unfortunate circumstances sin is a result of all of that and as i continue with how are you doing i want to introduce to you the very very real concept of examining your relationship with god first not the economy not the health system not whether you should wear or not wear a mask have i done something to offend my god sin lies are the foundation of all suffering i sometimes say it may sound silly it's not silly it's very serious people don't die of cancer they die because of sin you go back to genesis chapter 2 read verse 16 17 listen to what the bible says and the lord god commanded the man saying of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat of it for in the day thou eatest thereof thou shall surely die listen to the words of god in the day thou eatest thereof thou shall surely die god pronounced one penalty for sin and that was death he did not say thou shalt be sick he did not say there shall be floods and famine and drought and disease and landslides and mudslides and typhoons and hurricanes and snowstorms all god said was thou shalt surely die all the catastrophes that flow or that beset humanity today are all expressions of thou shall surely die we know in genesis chapter 3 that god said to adam because thou has hearkened unto the voice of thy wife and has eaten of the tree of which i commanded thee saying thou shalt not eat of it curse is the ground for thy sake genesis 3 17 the ground was cursed because of sin god didn't tell adam if the day thou eatest thereof i will curse the ground he didn't say that he simply said thou shalt surely die but a curse condition is an expression of a dying society verse 16 genesis 3 unto the woman he said i will greatly multiply thy sorrow thy conception in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children not only painfully but when you see the lives the children lead sorrow will break your heart this is an expression of a dying world god only said thou shalt surely die but we have all these conditions that beset humanity because the foundation is sin how are you doing what is the relationship between you and your god is this something in your life that displeases god as i said earlier when adam and eve sinned god came down and spoke to adam individually god spoke to eve god spoke to the serpent he announced punishment to eve he announced punishment to adam as a matter of fact in genesis 22 to 24 god tossed the man out of the garden of course a woman went with him but he tossed the man individual why did god curse the earth because the man had seen individual how are you doing are you suffering are you sick there is a god in heaven who is willing wanting and waiting to transform your circumstances give your life to him now i'm not saying if you do not give your life to god off immediately i'm not saying that because jesus in his mercy he tells us in matthew 5 verse 44 that ye may be the children of your father which is in heaven in verse 43 for verse 45 sorry for he maketh the sun to rise on the evil and on the good and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust so god is so good the sun which represent life is given to the evil and to the good the rain which represents life is given to the just and the unjust so even though you may be unjust and evil and i'm sure you're not that but even though you are god still exercises mercy but god wants to do much more for you because god has blessings that are special his choices blessings and he reserves them for those who obey him and so i ask you again how are you doing have you lost your job have you contracted the coronavirus are you terribly sick has the doctor given you bad news have your children gone straight into the world is your spouse making your life a living hell how are you doing there is a god who is speaking to you individually his name is jesus here's what he tells you in matthew 11 verse 28 come unto me not to a church not at first but i need to say quickly he has a church when you come to him he will guide you to that church but he says first come unto me god is not a concept god is not a vapor christ is a living person he is divine he is human even as i talk about jesus he's watching me listening to me he has still his human condition he understands it is someone who understands your condition and can do something about it in his divinity he understands in his humanity and he says to you come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy-laden i will give you rest our subject how are you doing this invitation is no different really from what christ said to the man at the pool of bethesda will thou be made whole in matthew 11 28 come unto me all you that labor and the heavy lane christ is saying would you like your burden lightened or removed would you like me to carry it for you you have to say individually yes and jesus says come let's see how open-minded jesus is and broad-minded as we continue how are you doing listen to the words closely come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden i will give you rest what does it mean by all ye that labor males females white black hispanic or latino or latina native american european asian educated uneducated rich poor despised beloved employed unemployed jesus says come but god's invitation is individual and so he's saying to you come let's talk about your unemployment come let's talk about your sickness come we will talk about it i will do something about it come unto me all ye that labor and the heavy laden i will give you rest now when jesus says i will give you rest you need to understand that jesus says of himself in john 14 verse 6 i am the way the truth christ cannot lie titus chapter 1 verse 2 which god that cannot lie promised god cannot lie god does not lie and jesus christ is just like god christ does not lie and he says come to me come you may be listening to me seated in a wheelchair and i speak with great respect you don't have to move you come to god here and here and jesus says come to me all you that labor and a heavy laden i will give you rest take my yoke upon you and learn of me for are you meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest unto your souls my yoke is easy my burden is light following christ is taking on a light burden let me say that again following christ is the act of taking on a light burden and we give him our burden when christ came by where john the baptist was baptizing in john 1 29 john the baptist said to the listening crowd behold the lamb of god which taketh away the sins of the world the word taketh away simply means to carry as to carry a lord he bears it away when i travel in airports or going through airports i always smile when i see a man in a suit with a backpack just doesn't seem right to me a man in a suit and with a backpack backpacks are ubiquitous you see them everywhere people carry these backpacks jesus carries the backpack of our burdens and so john said behold the lamb of god that carries the burdens of the world and the greatest burden you can carry if we listen to the words of christ come unto me all you that labor and a heavy laden and i will give you rest the greatest burden you and i can carry is the burden of sin as i told you earlier all god said was in the day thou eat his thereof thou shalt surely die but we have all these calamities sickness suffering floods disease whatever else all these things are expressions of a dying world then if we come to god the number one thing we need is the removal of the burden of sin because with the departure of sin goes several ago several burdens and calamities as long as we live in this earth we will have troubles and trials yes god allows some for our the testing of our faith but someone walking hand in hand with god will not experience the same troubles as someone who does not walk with god if that were the case where is the advantage of walking with god yes god's people have troubles yes they'll have trials yes they'll have tribulations but they will be managed by god now let me tell you something about god it's a psychological principle but the true principles of psychology are in the bible if your burden is to carry this and god sees it is necessary for the perfection of your character that you carry this burden god will change the way you see the burden he changes the mind for example here am i walking across a plane and i come across a mountain i have to get over that mountain to continue my journey i'm depressed i'm discouraged i'm sad i'm frustrated hey this mountain is getting on my nerves here comes a mountain climber who's also walking and he sees the mountain and his response his reaction is different he breaks into a smile because as a mountain climber he sees a mountain as an exciting challenge and he just can't wait to determine which face of the mountain he will use to climb to reach the summit while i not a mountain climber i'm depressed and i'm sitting down in my tears wishing the mountain would vanish god changes our minds and so we may see our circumstances different whether he changes the mind or he changes the circumstances or he changes both because god knows what's best for us god is willing as i said waiting wanting to ameliorate improve your circumstances and as i come to the end of the message i appeal to you from my heart as someone who has to lean on god someone who needs the divine working in my life day by day moment by moment it is not necessary to remain in your misery it is not necessary at all because there's a god you see misery does not come from god suffering is not of god god is a god of blessing suffering is a result of sin it is not necessary for someone to remain in his or suffering there is a god who is willing to change your circumstances and all i'm saying to you is in the presence of god and by the power of his word come to god you may say but i'm a christian recommit your life to god consider this concept in the bible death is represented by asleep which means last night you and i were dead in a certain sense we were dead to the world we knew not what was happening someone could have come into the bedroom or wherever we slept slit our throats stolen our money stolen our cell phones we had no clue we were asleep we were dead symbolically sleep is death then when we wake in the morning we can see that as a new life a brand new life a resurrection to a new day in that sense every day is a brief little lifetime it ends with death then god by his mercy gives us another lifetime which is a day today is a new lifetime for you it is brief i'm saying to you today give your life to god last night all over the world including where you are people went to sleep and i say this often they were found dead this morning every morning people found dead in hospitals on the streets in homeless shelters in private homes on the battlefield every morning around the world people who go to bed the night before are found dead now you and i went to bed last night we're alive today why am i trying to say god has chosen to preserve our lives another day and i'm saying to you this may be the day when god is saying my son my daughter come give your life to me put your life in my hand because anything in my hand i can defend i can sustain i can nourish i can protect give him your life our subject was how are you doing right now as i close this message talk to god tell god i need a job someone wrote me on what's it whatsapp last night i believe it was i'm through with all this god stuff this christianity stuff i am a defeated man i wrote back quickly why god doesn't answer my prayer i have weakness this weakness that weakness i fall i fall i cannot stop so i wrote him some bible verses and a chapter from steps to christ he wrote back this morning with a sample of what he read he said i found this very encouraging and i sent him an audio recording and he wrote back thank you very much this was encouraging and i'm praying for him and i want him to know there's a god who can pull him from the brink wherever you are give this to god there's one good reason you must give this to god this is your life your heart because it belongs to him he is creator and his savior the bible says in first corinthians 6 20 for you bought with a price the bible says in psalm 24 verse 1 the earth is the lord's and the fullness thereof the world and they that dwell therein you belong to god and so in giving your life to god you're just giving him what is his tell god you need a job you've been out of work for years tell god you're suffering tell god you're under persecution on the job tell god you've been outcast or cast out by your family members tell god you're all alone and desperate for social support tell god what's going on because god is asking you as jesus asked that man and as jesus asked uh blind bartimaeus how are you doing you can tell god i'm doing badly and i need help and as surely as that man in mark 9 told jesus if thou canst do anything have compassion on us and help us you say to god if you are god and say it respectfully have compassion on me in my circumstances and help me and as i close by faith listen to god saying to you how are you doing tell him not well i need help and you will hear him say come unto me you individually you're laboring you're heavy laden and i the create of heaven and earth for whom nothing is impossible will give you rest may the lord bless blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see god blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of god blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake be glad for so persecuted they're the prophets which were before you ye are the salt of the earth but if the salt have lost his savor wherewith shall it be salted it is then forth good for nothing but to be cast out and to be trodden underfoot of men ye are the light of the world a city that is set on an hill cannot be hid neither do men like to candle and put it under a bushel but on a candle stick and it giveth light unto all that are in the house let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven wherever you are watching us we welcome you we thank you for your interest in god's word for your love for truth and may the lord bless you as you listen to these words which i believe god has given me to give to you i am always delighted to welcome anyone listening who is not a seventh-day adventist wherever you are thank you again and may the lord bless you so much that you will want to come and fellowship with us again whether via this medium or by attending one of our churches in your local area i welcome all the little children who may be watching children understand much more than what we give them credit for so if they're little boys and girls watching thank you very much jesus at the age of 12 understood the truth of the bible josiah at the age of eight he was the king of judah and he did what was right in the sight of god there was a little boy who provided fish and bread which jesus used to feed five thousand so if the little children watching thank you very much for loving jesus and may god bless you through this message i hope i make it so simple that you will understand the message for today is how are you doing very simple how are you doing and i emphasize the you how are you doing before i get into that let me ask you to do three little things for me favor number one wherever you are preserve reverence because god is holy under all circumstances and in all settings so wherever you are preserve an atmosphere of reverence and god will be pleased favor number two while i'm speaking pray for me and say lord put your words in that man's mouth this is based on jeremiah chapter 1 verse 9 which says then the lord put forth his hand and touched my mouth and the lord said unto me behold i have put my words in thy mouth and i really and truly want god to put his words in my mouth why is that because jesus tells us in john 6 63 the words that i speak unto you they are spirit and they are life the words of god are living words the words created the universe the word raised the dead and so i want to speak god's words because my opinions have no saving value fear number three i want you to think as you listen isaiah 1 18 come now let us reason together saith the lord think as you listen it is very encouraging to me and perhaps to you to know that we serve a reasonable god it is a reasonable god who will invite us to reason with him it also means that god comes down and speaks our language and listens to us and so the bible says come now let us reason together seth the lord and i hope you will accept that invitation from god let's bow our heads now and pray father in heaven touch my mind touch my mouth touch me completely not for my sake there god but for the sake of your glory for the sake of the beloved audience whom you love so much if i've offended you forgive me cleanse my heart dear god and my mind may i be a clean instrument in your hand grant me simple language father that those listening may understand the message you have prepared for them if anyone listening to my words father has contracted the coronavirus i ask in the name of jesus the great physician heal that person 100 their god not slightly or barely i as humbly heal that person or those persons 100 and let that healing creating that person a love for you dear god i pray for anyone else who's speaking right now put your words in that person's mouth i pray now i commit this service to your glory give us the blessing because we need it i pray in jesus name amen last night i did some tossing and turning as i wrestled with god on the question what should i tell his people now and some ideas came across my head i thought well perhaps i could talk about the beast and he's perhaps receives too much attention than he deserves i thought maybe i can talk about the ten plagues or talk about the ten commandments or talk about some aspect of revelation as it relates to daniel but i only received peace of mind when i finally decided i will talk to you personally do not view this as a sermon even though it is i want you wherever you are to understand that i am speaking to you not necessarily to the person next to you now the person next to you should understand i am speaking to him or her but i want you to understand i am speaking directly to you as an individual and our subject is how are you doing we're living in a tumultuous world my listening friend how are you doing multiple thousands of jobs have been lost because of the lockdown imposed upon society by covid19 have you lost your job how are you doing schools have been closed children have to stay at home complicating lives for working parents they now have to make arrangements to have the children supervised i ask you how are you doing because many have lost their jobs many are facing foreclosure on their homes and when i say many i mean millions and so i ask again how are you doing as you sit stand lie or listen to my voice there is a god for whom nothing is impossible when god told abraham he would have a son in genesis 17 verse 17 the bible says then abraham fell on his face and laughed because it sounded impossible to him because he was now about a hundred years old in genesis 18 when god told abraham again that sarah would bear a child for him the bible says sarah laughed and so we have man and wife laughing at god because what god said made no sense to them in the human mind with their limited finite restricted human thinking and so they're left now if i were to say to you that given the employment climate of this country because of covet 19 that god can find you a job you may laugh if i were to say to you that you're facing foreclosure and god can work a miracle to put that off you may laugh because in your mind it is impossible but the bible says for god nothing is impossible when sarah laughed god told abraham in genesis 18 14 is anything too hard for the lord it's a question that does not did not require an answer from abraham the answer was so obvious and god is asking you today right now my sister my brother is anything too hard for the lord you have to answer that and i'm sure your answer will be no god nothing is too hard for god in luke 18 verse 27 jesus told the disciples the things which are impossible with men are possible with god i'll say that again listen microscopically listen closely concentrate the things which are impossible with men or people are possible with god what your s state or your town or your township or your county cannot do for you god can do if he so desires the things which are impossible with men are possible with god can you believe that in the circumstances that you're currently facing psalm 84 11 no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly can you believe that whatever is good for you god will provide and so i ask you again how are you doing right now where you are before i go any further let me pray again father in heaven as i speak to those whom you love passionately give me the right words i pray in jesus name amen to get into the heart and soul of how are you doing let's look at a quality god has given to us in genesis 1 we read verse 26 and god said let us make man in our image after our likeness let us make man in our image after our likeness this did not only apply to the character man was supposed to develop god's image was to be seen not only in character it was also to be seen in physical appearance it was to be seen in everything that humanity did prior to sin of course of course god still has that requirement now because he never changes his standards god's character his image his glory his likeness was intended to be reflected in everything the human race did the marriage union is a reflection of the image of god the headship of the man is a reflection of the image of god all of this was god's design that he would be reflected when he said let us make man in our image now there is a quality of god that he has given to us it is a quality let me use the word it is a power that god has given us and that power is the power of individuality you are separate from and different from every other human being on the face of the earth i say that again i'll say differently god does not clone god is a god of individuality and uniqueness no two people are alike this is a quality and a power god has given to us the power of individuality and the power to make individual choices and individual decisions and i must trust this in this quality of this power of individuality because it is essential as i move into the heart and soul of how are you doing when god made adam and eve he did not make them together he made them on the same day but did not make them together genesis chapter 2 verse 7 the bible says and the lord god formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul that verse refers to adam only not eve eve was made in verse 21 and verse 22. and the lord god caused a deep sleep to fall upon adam and he slept and he took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh instead thereof and the rib which the lord god had taken from man made he a woman and brought her unto the man adam and eve were made at different times on the sixth day of creation god could have made them at the same time why not one of the reasons is god made them as individuals they had to make decisions individually to serve him they had to decide individually to obey god god made individuals it is something i love to stress because very often people will not follow god they hear the truth they are convicted by the truth but will not accept it because of what someone else might do or say or how that person might react we do not understand that god requires of us that we make individual decisions to serve him and to obey him and to walk in the steps of his son jesus christ and so god made adam by himself god made eve by herself yes we have responsibilities one towards another i can influence you and you can influence me yes this is part of living together but at the very foundation of the society that god set up were individuals individuality now having said that let's assume that you're listening to this program and you're surrounded by people your wife your children your friends while you may be surrounded by people god is looking at you and he's watching how you are relating to the words you're hearing what decision will you make when i arrive at the point of making an appeal how is your heart responding to the words you're hearing god is focusing on you steps of christ page 100 paragraph one the relations between god and its soul are as distinct and full as though there were not another soul upon the earth to share his watch care in the parable of the lost sheep in luke 15 the bible says from verse three and four what manner of view having 100 sheep if he lose one of them doth not leave the 1909 in the wilderness and go after that which was lost until he find it that parable teaches us several things it teaches us that christ came to save the only world in the vast universe that went astray the parable teaches us that if only one person on earth had gone astray jesus christ would have come the parable teaches us the importance god places on individual responsibility and the value the individual has to god and so i am saying again you may be listening to this presentation surrounded by others but god is looking at you when god spoke the ten commandments from mount sinai and it was jesus christ speaking for his father he said thou shalt have no other gods before me thou is singular thou shalt not make unto thee any given image that is singular when god came down to investigate the catastrophe in the garden of eden he said to adam adam where whereas thou he did not say adam and eve where are ye that's plural where at thou he came to adam individually then he came to eve individually then he spoke to the serpent individually when he handed out punishment he spoke to eve individually he spoke to adam individually this is not to discount the group because god brought the first group together adam and eve god formed the first couple what i'm stressing as i try to address what concerns you may have is god forgetting me is god blessing others has god passed me by the answer is no because god begins with the individual and you may be the only one in your town who believes that god does not care but he cares for you god focuses on individuals in the book a mind character and personality volume 2 page 423 paragraph 2. i'll give that reference again mind character and personality volume 2. page 423 paragraph 2 the servant of the lord writes the gospel deals with individuals i pause before i give you examples of individuals touched by the gospel the gospel deals with individuals in hebrews chapter 1 verse 3 the bible says who being the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person and upholding all things by the word of his power when he had by himself purged our sins sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high when he had by himself why was he by himself the father had temporarily turned away jesus knew that and he cried my god my god why hast thou forsaken me mark 14 50 the disciples forsook him and fled christ was all by himself he had to make an individual choice to stay on that cross he had to make an individual choice in the garden of gethsemane to go through that terrible suffering yes the angel gabriel came down and strengthened him luke 22 verse 43 but christ had to make the decision himself god his gospel is about individuals first and so the quotation mind character and personality volume two page four twenty three paragraph two says the gospel deals with individuals every human being has a soul to save or to lose each has an individuality separate and distinct from all others each must be convicted for himself converted for himself each must receive the truth repent believe obey for himself he must exercise his own will he no one can do this work by proxy no one can believe for you no one can repent for you this is an individual work yes there were times when the nation of israel repented all that meant was individuals repented my question for you again how are you doing there are seven billion plus people on the face of the earth god is looking at you there are seven billion police plus people on the face of the earth there are millions unemployed and god is noticing your situation you're all alone with four children your husband left you you're tearing your hair out trying to figure out how will i provide for my children god is looking at your situation and god is saying to you i can help when the father brought his epileptic boy to the disciples to be healed they could not heal him the account is in mark chapter nine christ came off the mountain of transfiguration there was a brouhaha a commotion and christ asked what's going on and he was informed by the father i brought my son and your disciples could not heal him in verse 21 jesus asked the father how long is it to go since this came upon him and he said of a child and often times mark 9 23 22 he hath cast him into the fire and into the waters to destroy him but if thou canst do anything have compassion upon us and help us now this is the father speaking an individual jesus said if thou canst believe all things are possible to them that believe and straightway the father cried out and said with tears lord i believe help thou my unbelief i believe this is a man i believe but all the faith he had was this you know god is a good god we say that all the time psalm 105 for the lord is good and this is absolutely true god is good but we ought sometimes to pause and reflect meditate focus on the extent to which god is good the bible says without faith it is impossible to please god hebrews 11 6 that man virtually said this is all the faith i had because he said lord i believe helped thou my unbelief he says i believe that he says unbelief his faith was small here is an individual with little faith but all the faith he had he put in christ and jesus answered his cry granted him his petition and healed his son help thou my unbelief wherever you are if this is all the faith you have put it in christ exercise that faith and with that exercise of faith say as that man said lord help thou my unbelief and anyone who utters that cry will not go unrewarded by god of mercy who is listening and watching my question to you which is the title of the message how are you doing let's go to john chapter 5. john 5 we'll read from verse 1. i read from the king james version of the bible it's my favorite version teddy i refer to other versions but for public speaking and memorization i just love the music and the language of the king james version before i read that passage let's pray again dear god hold me in your arms uphold me with your power let my voice be your voice my words your words i pray in jesus name amen after this there was a feast of the jews and jesus went up to jerusalem now there is at jerusalem by the sheep market a pool which is called in the hebrew tongue bethesda having five porches in these lay a great multitude of impotent fork of blind halt withered waiting for the moving of the water for an angel went down at a certain season into the pool and troubled the water whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had and a certain man was there notice the bible says there was a great multitude of blind halt withered waiting for the moving of the water a great multitude now the focus is on one the individual and a certain man was there verse five which had an infirmity thirty and eight years he had been unemployed a long time he had been sick a long time he had been searching whatever a long time this man had been suffering and there's someone listening to me who has been in an unfortunate condition for years fighting cigarettes for years cycling alcohol for years fighting drug addiction this man had a condition thirty and eight years verse six when jesus saw him lie and knew that he'd been now a long time in that case he said unto him will thou be made whole there were sick people all around jesus remember the bible says in these laid the porches a great multitude of impotent fork of blind halt withered a great multitude jesus zeroed in for reasons best known to him on one man will thou be made whole let me put that in fresno english would you like your circumstances changed would you like a reversal of fortune 14 is not the best word but i'll use it would you like your life to take a different direction would you like your marriage improved would you like to see a difference in the behavior of your children jesus targets the man's conditions wilt thou be made whole the impotent man answered him verse 7 sir i have no man when the water is troubled to put me into the pool but while i'm coming another step is down before me at the question of jesus will thou be made whole he should have just said yes but god is so merciful so patient jesus listens his excuse sir i have no man the word or the expression i have no man simply means i have no person whether male or female to help me someone listening to me now you've come to the place where you believe not no friends or relatives are willing to help you you have no man no woman no human being no created being who can come to your rescue and you're up to here in trouble and distress and there's no one to whom you can turn and the god of the universe is looking right at you and via this message and by his spirit he has come to where you are and as jesus asked that man will thou be made whole when blind bartimaeus cried out thou son of david have mercy upon me jesus said what will thou have me to do unto thee what do you want when god puts that question to you god is giving you a blank check and he tells you right the amount i've already signed it in the blood of my son you write the amount here is a blind check a blank check what do you want and christ said to that man will thou be made whole do you want your sins forgiven you need a job are you sick you need healing tell god what you need regardless of who else is around you suffering tell god what you need we read verse 6 again he said unto him will thou be made whole the impotent man answered him sir i have no man when the water is troubled to put me into the pool there are some people whose condition make them close to helpless i say close to helpless because as long as god is on the throne no one is entirely helpless but from the standpoint of human assistance they are helpless i have no man when the water is troubled to put me into the pool but while i am coming as i make my feeble effort because i am so slow i cannot walk so i have to try to roll my way into the pool sick people who can walk they get in before me another step is down before me people are always getting ahead i submitted my application along with others they got a call for an interview i did not get one i submitted my application for medical school my friend was called i was not called i did this i did that along with others they receive responses i receive none while i am coming another step is down before me there's always someone ahead of me in this life jesus says unto him arise take up thy bed and walk he did not say that to any other sick person gathered around that pool insofar as the bible informs us or the writings of ellen white why christ knows why or whatever christ does is right whatever god does is right the lord is righteous in all his ways and holy in all his works psalm 145 17 for reasons best known to christ christ did not heal anyone else but that man arise take up thy bed and walk that was the man's need to walk and immediately the man was made whole and took up his bed and walked and on the same day was the sabbath the pharisees said unto him that was cured it is the sabbath day it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed he answered them he that made me whole the same said unto me take up thy bed and walk then ask the hymn what man is that which said unto thee take up thy bed and walk and he that was healed was not who it was for jesus had conveyed himself away a multitude being in that place here we have repeated that there was a multitude both sick and those not sick afterward jesus findeth him in the temple verse 14 and said unto him behold thou art made whole sin no more lest the worst thing come unto thee let me introduce a concept into this presentation it is frequently not welcome but it's necessary jesus told that man sin no more lest a worse thing come unto thee in making that statement christ connected sin with sickness someone's saying well i haven't done anything wrong and i'm sick it may not be the result of your individual sin it may simply be that you live in a world of sin let me say it again sickness is the result of sin suffering is the result of sin christ suffered he never sinned but he carried our sins sickness is the result of sin suffering is the result of sin jesus told that man sin no more lest the worst thing come unto thee in chapter 8 of the book of john when jesus forgave the woman taking in adultery she said go and sin no more at the foundation of all suffering and sickness and misery is this thing called sin why am i saying that i'm saying that to introduce this concept to you as you listen to this message how are you doing before i introduce the concept let me pray father in heaven as i continue on the down slope of the message continue to give me your words and your thoughts i pray in jesus name amen in trying to deal with any crisis in your life whether it's job loss sickness family crisis nothing going right the first question you should ask is this something between me and my god of course if someone listening is is uh not a believer not as an atheist perhaps the person may not feel the need to ask that question but whether you're an atheist or not there's a god in heaven and i'm suggesting to you the first question to ask is this something between me and my god or have i offended god what have i done that possibly brought on these calamities upon me these unfortunate circumstances into my life david prayed in psalm 139 verse 23 24 search me your god and know my heart try me and know my thoughts and see if there'll be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting i say again the foundation the source of sickness suffering calamity unfortunate circumstances sin is a result of all of that and as i continue with how are you doing i want to introduce to you the very very real concept of examining your relationship with god first not the economy not the health system not whether you should wear or not wear a mask have i done something to offend my god sin lies are the foundation of all suffering i sometimes say it may sound silly it's not silly it's very serious people don't die of cancer they die because of sin you go back to genesis chapter 2 read verse 16 17 listen to what the bible says and the lord god commanded the man saying of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat of it for in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die listen to the words of god in the day thou eatest thereof thou shall surely die god pronounce one penalty for sin and that was death he did not say thou shalt be sick he did not say there shall be floods and famine and drought and disease and landslides and mudslides and typhoons and hurricanes and snowstorms all god said was thou shalt surely die all the catastrophes that flow or that beset humanity today are all expressions of thou shall surely die we know in genesis chapter 3 that god said to adam because thou has hearkened unto the voice of thy wife and has eaten of the tree of which i commanded thee saying thou shalt not eat of it curse is the ground for thy sake genesis 3 17 the ground was cursed because of sin god didn't tell adam if the day thou eatest thereof i will curse the ground he didn't say that he simply said thou shalt surely die but a curse condition is an expression of a dying society verse 16 genesis 3 unto the woman he said i will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children not only painfully but when you see the lives children lead sorrow will break your heart this is an expression of a dying world god only said thou shalt surely die but we have all these conditions that beset humanity because the foundation is sin how are you doing what is the relationship between you and your god is this something in your life that displeases god as i said earlier when adam and eve sinned god came down and spoke to adam individually god spoke to eve god spoke to the serpent he announced punishment to eve he announced punishment to adam as a matter of fact in genesis 22 to 24 god tossed the man out of the garden of course a woman went with him but he tossed the man individual why did god curse the earth because the man had seen individual how are you doing are you suffering are you sick there is a god in heaven who is willing wanting and waiting to transform your circumstances give your life to him now i'm not saying if you do not give your life to god he cuts off immediately i'm not saying that because jesus in his mercy he tells us in matthew 5 44 that ye may be the children of your father which is in heaven in verse 43 for verse 45 sorry for he maketh the sun to rise on the evil and on the good and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust so god is so good the sun which represent life is given to the evil and to the good the rain which represents life is given to the just and the unjust so even though you may be unjust and evil and i'm not i'm sure you're not that but even though you are god still exercises mercy but god wants to do much more for you because god has blessings that are special his choices blessings and he reserves them for those who obey him and so i ask you again how are you doing have you lost your job have you contracted the coronavirus are you terribly sick has the doctor given you bad news have your children gone astray into the world is your spouse making your life a living hell how are you doing there is a god who is speaking to you individually his name is jesus here's what he tells you in matthew 11 28 come unto me not to a church not at first but i need to say quickly he has a church when you come to him he will guide you to that church but he says first come unto me god is not a concept god is not a vapor christ is a living person he is divine he is human even as i talk about jesus he's watching me listening to me he has still his human condition he understand it is someone who understands your condition and can do something about it in his divinity he understands in his humanity and he says to you come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden i will give you rest our subject how are you doing this invitation is no different really from what christ said to the man at the pool of bethesda will thou be made whole in matthew 11 28 come unto me all you that labor and the heavy land christ is saying would you like your burden lightened or removed would you like me to carry it for you you have to say individually yes and jesus says come let's see how open-minded jesus is and broad-minded as we continue how are you doing listen to the words closely come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden i will give you rest what does it mean by all ye that labor males females white black hispanic or latino or latina native american european asian educated uneducated rich poor despised beloved employed unemployed jesus says come but god's invitation is individual and so he's saying to you come let's talk about your unemployment come let's talk about your sickness come we will talk about it i will do something about it come unto me all you that labor and the heavy laden i will give you rest now when jesus says i will give you rest you need to understand that jesus says of himself in john 14 verse 6 i am the way the truth christ cannot lie titus chapter 1 verse 2 which god that cannot lie promised god cannot lie god does not lie and just christ is just like god christ does not lie and he says come to me come you may be listening to me seated in a wheelchair and i speak with great respect you don't have to move you come to god here and here and jesus says come to me all you that labor and a heavy laden i will give you rest take my yoke upon you and learn of me for i am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest unto your souls my yoke is easy my burden is light following christ is taking on a light burden let me say that again following christ is the act of taking on a light burden and we give him our burden when christ came by where john the baptist was baptizing in john 1 29 john the baptist said to the listening crowd behold the lamb of god which taketh away the sins of the world the word taketh away simply means to carry as to carry a load he bears it away when i travel in airports or going through airports i always smile when i see a man in a suit with a backpack just doesn't seem right to me a man in a suit with a backpack backpacks are ubiquitous you see them everywhere people carry these backpacks jesus carries the backpack of our burdens and so john said behold the lamb of god that carries the burdens of the world and the greatest burden you can carry if we listen to the words of christ come unto me only that labor and a heavy laden and i will give you rest the greatest burden you and i can carry is the burden of sin as i told you earlier all god said was in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die but we have all these calamities sickness suffering floods disease whatever else all these things are expressions of a dying world then if we come to god the number one thing we need is the removal of the burden of sin because with the departure of sin goes several although several burdens and calamities as long as we live in this earth we will have troubles and trials yes god allows some for our the testing of our faith but someone walking hand in hand with god will not experience the same troubles as someone who does not walk with god if that were the case where is the advantage of walking with god yes god's people have troubles yes they'll have trials yes they'll have tribulations but they will be managed by god now let me tell you something about god it's a psychological principle but the true principles of psychology are in the bible if your burden is to carry this and god sees it is necessary for the perfection of your character that you carry this burden god will change the way you see the burden he changes the mind for example here am i walking across a plane and i come across a mountain i have to get over that mountain to continue my journey i'm depressed i'm discouraged i'm sad i'm frustrated hey this mountain is getting on my nerves here comes a mountain climber who's also walking and he sees the mountain and his response his reaction is different he breaks into a smile because as a mountain climber he sees a mountain as an exciting challenge and he just can't wait to determine which face of the mountain he will use to climb to reach the summit while i not a mountain climber i'm depressed and i'm sitting down in my tears wishing the mountain would vanish god changes our minds and so we may see our circumstances different whether he changes the mind or he changes the circumstances or he changes both because god knows what's best for us god is willing as i said waiting wanting to ameliorate improve your circumstances and as i come to the end of the message i appeal to you from my heart as someone who has to lean on god someone who needs the divine working in my life day by day moment by moment it is not necessary to remain in your misery it is not necessary at all because there's a god you see misery does not come from god suffering is not of god god is the god of blessing suffering is a result of sin it is not necessary for someone to remain in his or suffering there is a god who is willing to change your circumstances and all i'm saying to you is in the presence of god and by the power of his word come to god you may say but i'm a christian recommit your life to god consider this concept in the bible death is represented by asleep which means last night you and i were dead in a certain sense we were dead to the world we knew not what was happening someone could have come into the bedroom or wherever we slept slit our throats stolen our money stolen our cell phones we had no clue we were asleep we were dead symbolically sleep is death then when we wake in the morning we can see that as a new life a brand new life a resurrection to a new day in that sense every day is a brief little lifetime it ends with death then god by his mercy gives us another lifetime which is a day today is a new lifetime for you it is brief i'm saying to you today give your life to god last night all over the world including where you are people went to sleep and i say this often they were found dead this morning every morning people found dead in hospitals on the streets in homeless shelters in private homes on the battlefield every morning around the world people who go to bed the night before are found dead now you and i went to bed last night we're alive today what am i trying to say god has chosen to preserve our lives another day and i'm saying to you this may be the day when god is saying my son my daughter come give your life to me put your life in my hand because anything in my hand i can defend i can sustain i can nourish i can protect give him your life our subject was how are you doing right now as i close this message talk to god tell god i need a job someone wrote me on uh what's it whatsapp last night i believe it was i'm through with all this god stuff this christianity stuff i am a defeated man i wrote back quickly why god doesn't answer my prayer i have weakness this weakness that weakness i fall i fall i cannot stop so i wrote him in some bible verses and a chapter from steps to christ he wrote back this morning with a sample of what he read he said i found this very encouraging and i sent him an audio recording and he wrote back thank you very much this was encouraging and i'm praying for him and i want him to know there's a god who can pull him from the brink wherever you are give this to god there's one good reason you must give this to god this is your life your heart because it belongs to him he is creator and his savior the bible says in first corinthians 6 20 for year bought with a price the bible says in psalm 24 verse 1 the earth is the lord's and the fullness thereof the world and they that dwell therein you belong to god and so in giving your life to god you're just giving him what is his tell god you need a job you've been out of work for years tell god you're suffering tell god you're under persecution on the job tell god you've been outcast or cast out by your family members tell god you're all alone and desperate for social support tell god what's going on because god is asking you as jesus asked that man and as jesus asked uh blind bartimaeus how are you doing you can tell god i'm doing badly and i need help and as surely as that man in mark 9 told jesus if thou can't do anything have compassion on us and help us you say to god if you are god and say it respectfully have compassion on me in my circumstances and help me and as i close by faith listen to god saying to you how are you doing tell him not well i need help and you will hear him say come unto me you individually you're laboring you're heavy laden and i the creator of heaven and earth for whom nothing is impossible will give you rest may the lord blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see god blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of god blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake be glad for so persecuted they're the prophets which were before you ye are the salt of the earth but if the salt have lost his sava wherewith shall it be salted it is then forth good for nothing but to be cast out and to be trodden under foot of men ye are the light of the world a city that is set on an hill cannot be hid neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel but on a candlestick and it giveth light unto all that are in the house let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven wherever you are watching us we welcome you we thank you for your interest in god's word for your love for truth and may the lord bless you as you listen to these words which i believe god has given me to give to you i am always delighted to welcome anyone listening who is not a seventh-day adventist wherever you are thank you again and may the lord bless you so much that you will want to come and fellowship with us again whether via this medium or by attending one of our churches in your local area i welcome all the little children who may be watching children understand much more than what we give them credit for so if they're little boys and girls watching thank you very much jesus at the age of 12 understood the truth of the bible josiah at the age of eight he was the king of judah and he did what was right in the sight of god there was a little boy who provided fish and bread which jesus used to feed five thousand so if the little children watching thank you very much for loving jesus and may god bless you through this message i hope i make it so simple that you will understand the message for today is how are you doing very simple how are you doing and i emphasize the you how are you doing before i get into that let me ask you to do three little things for me favor number one wherever you are preserve reverence because god is holy under all circumstances and in all settings so wherever you are preserve an atmosphere of reverence and god will be pleased favor number two while i'm speaking pray for me and say lord put your words in that man's mouth this is based on jeremiah chapter 1 verse 9 which says then the lord put forth his hand and touched my mouth and the lord said unto me behold i have put my words in thy mouth and i really and truly want god to put his words in my mouth why is that because jesus tells us in john 6 63 the words that i speak unto you they are spirit and they are life the words of god are living words the words created the universe the word raised the dead and so i want to speak god's words because my opinions have no saving value favor number three i want you to think as you listen isaiah 1 18 come now let us reason together saith the lord think as you listen it is very encouraging to me and perhaps to you to know that we serve a reasonable god it is a reasonable god who will invite us to reason with him it also means that god comes down and speaks our language and listens to us and so the bible says come now let us reason together seth the lord and i hope you will accept that invitation from god let's bow our heads now and pray father in heaven touch my mind touch my mouth touch me completely not for my sake dear god but for the sake of your glory for the sake of the beloved audience whom you love so much if i have offended you forgive me cleanse my heart dear god and my mind may i be a clean instrument in your hand grant me simple language father that those listening may understand the message you have prepared for them if anyone listening to my words father has contracted the coronavirus i ask in the name of jesus the great physician healed that person 100 their god not slightly or barely i as humbly heal that person or those persons 100 and let that healing creating that person a love for you dear god i pray for anyone else who's speaking right now put your words in that person's mouth i pray now i commit this service to your glory give us the blessing because we need it i pray in jesus name amen last night i did some tossing and turning as i wrestled with god on the question what should i tell his people now and some ideas came across my head i thought well perhaps i could talk about the beast and he's perhaps receives too much attention than he deserves i thought maybe i can talk about the ten plagues or talk about the ten commandments so talk about some aspect of revelation as it relates to daniel but i only received peace of mind when i finally decided i will talk to you personally do not view this as a sermon even though it is i want you wherever you are to understand that i am speaking to you not necessarily to the person next to you now the person next to you should understand i am speaking to him or her but i want you to understand i am speaking directly to you as an individual and our subject is how are you doing we're living in a tumultuous world my listening friend how are you doing multiple thousands of jobs have been lost because of the lockdown imposed upon society by covid19 have you lost your job how are you doing schools have been closed children have to stay at home complicating lives for working parents they now have to make arrangements to have their children supervised i ask you how are you doing because many have lost their jobs many are facing foreclosure on their homes and when i say many i mean millions and so i ask again how are you doing as you sit stand lie or listen to my voice there is a god for whom nothing is impossible when god told abraham he would have a son in genesis 17 verse 17 the bible says then abraham fell on his face and laughed because it sounded impossible to him because he was now about a hundred years old in genesis 18 when god told abraham again that sarah would bear a child for him the bible says sarah laughed and so we have man and wife laughing at god because what god said made no sense to them in the human mind with their limited finite restricted human thinking and so they're left now if i would say to you that given the employment climate of this country because of covet 19 that god can find you a job you may laugh if i were to say to you that you're facing foreclosure and god can work a miracle to put that off you may laugh because in your mind it is impossible but the bible says for god nothing is impossible when sarah laughed god told abraham in genesis 18 14 is anything too hard for the lord it's a question that does not did not require an answer from abraham the answer was so obvious and god is asking you today right now my sister my brother is anything too hard for the lord you have to answer that and i'm sure your answer will be no god nothing is too hard for god in luke 18 verse 27 jesus told the disciples the things which are impossible with men are possible with god i'll say that again listen microscopically listen closely concentrate the things which are impossible with men or people are possible with god what s state or your town or your township or your county cannot do for you god can do if he so desires the things which are impossible with men are possible with god can you believe that in the circumstances that you're currently facing psalm 84 11 no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly can you believe that whatever is good for you god will provide and so i ask you again how are you doing right now where you are before i go any further let me pray again father in heaven as i speak to those whom you love passionately give me the right words i pray in jesus name amen to get into the heart and soul of how are you doing let's look at a quality god has given to us in genesis 1 we read verse 26 and god said let us make man in our image after our likeness let us make man in our image after our likeness this did not only apply to the character man was supposed to develop god's image was to be seen not only in character it was also to be seen in physical appearance it was to be seen in everything that humanity did prior to sin of course of course god still has that requirement now because he never changes his standards god's character his image his glory his likeness was intended to be reflected in everything the human race did the marriage union is a reflection of the image of god the headship of the man is a reflection of the image of god all of this was god's design that he would be reflected when he said let us make man in our image now there is a quality of god that he has given to us it is equality let me use the word it is a power that god has given us and that power is the power of individuality you are separate from and different from every other human being on the face of the earth i say that again i'll say differently god does not clone god is a god of individuality and uniqueness no two people are alike this is a quality and a power god has given to us the power of individuality and the power to make individual choices and individual decisions and i must trust this in this quality of this power of individuality because it is essential as i move into the heart and soul of how are you doing when god made adam and eve he did not make them together he made them on the same day but did not make them together genesis chapter 2 verse 7 the bible says and the lord god formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul that verse refers to adam only not eve eve was made in verse 21 and verse 22 and the lord god caused a deep sleep to fall upon adam and he slept and he took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh instead thereof and the rib which the lord god had taken from man made he a woman and brought her unto the man adam and eve were made at different times on the sixth day of creation god could have made them at the same time why not one of the reasons is god made them as individuals they had to make decisions individually to serve him they had to decide individually to obey god god made individuals it is something i love to stress because very often people will not follow god they hear the truth they are convicted by the truth but will not accept it because of what someone else might do or say or how that person might react we do not understand that god requires of us that we make individual decisions to serve him and to obey him and to walk in the steps of his son jesus christ and so god made adam by himself god made eve by herself yes we have responsibilities one towards another i can influence you and you can influence me yes this is part of living together but at the very foundation of the society that god set up were individuals individuality now having said that let's assume that you're listening to this program and you're surrounded by people your wife your children your friends while you may be surrounded by people god is looking at you and he's watching how you are relating to the words you're hearing what decision will you make when i arrive at the point of making an appeal how is your heart responding to the words you're hearing god is focusing on you steps of christ page 100 paragraph 1 the relations between god and each soul are as distinct and full as though there were not another soul upon the earth to share his watch care in the parable of the lost sheep in luke 15 the bible says from verse 3 and 4 what manner of you having 100 sheep if he lose one of them doth not leave the 1909 in the wilderness and go after that which was lost until he find it that parable teaches us several things it teaches us that christ came to save the only world in the vast universe that went astray the parable teaches us that if only one person on earth had gone astray jesus christ would have come the parable teaches us the importance god places on individual responsibility and the value the individual has to guard and so i am saying again you may be listening to this presentation surrounded by others but god is looking at you when god spoke the ten commandments from mount sinai and it was jesus christ speaking for his father he said thou shalt have no other gods before me thou is singular thou shalt not make unto thee any given image that is singular when god came down to investigate the catastrophe in the garden of eden he said to adam adam where at thou he did not say adam and eve where are ye that's plural where at thou he came to adam individually then he came to eve individually then he spoke to the serpent individually when he handed out punishment he spoke to eve individually he spoke to adam individually this is not to discount the group because god brought the first group together adam and eve god formed the first couple what i'm stressing as i try to address what concerns you may have is god forgetting me is god blessing others has god passed me by the answer is no because god begins with the individual and you may be the only one in your town who believes that god does not care but he cares for you god focuses on individuals in the book mind character and personality volume 2 page 423 paragraph 2. i'll give that reference again mind character and personality volume 2. page 423 paragraph 2 the servant of the lord writes the gospel deals with individuals i pause before i give you examples of individuals touched by the gospel the gospel deals with individuals in hebrews chapter 1 verse 3 the bible says who being the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person and upholding all things by the word of his power when he had by himself purged our sins sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high when he had by himself why was he by himself the father had temporarily turned away jesus knew that and he cried my god my god why hast thou forsaken me mark 14 50 the disciples forsook him and fled christ was all by himself he had to make an individual choice to stay on that cross he had to make an individual choice in the garden of gethsemane to go through that terrible suffering yes the angel gabriel came down and strengthened him luke 22 43 but christ had to make the decision himself god his gospel is about individuals first and so the quotation mind character and personality volume 2. page 423 paragraph 2 says the gospel deals with individuals every human being has a soul to save or to lose each has an individuality separate and distinct from all others each must be convicted for himself converted for himself each must receive the truth repent believe obey for himself he must exercise his own will he no one can do this work by proxy no one can believe for you no one can repent for you this is an individual work yes there were times when the nation of israel repented all that meant was individuals repented my question for you again how are you doing there are seven billion plus people on the face of the earth god is looking at you there are seven billion police plus people on the face of the earth there are millions unemployed and god is noticing your situation you're all alone with four children your husband left you you're tearing your hair out trying to figure out how will i provide for my children god is looking at your situation and god is saying to you i can help when the father brought his epileptic boy to the disciples to be healed they could not heal him the account is in mark chapter 9. christ came off the mountain of transfiguration there was a brouhaha a commotion and christ asked what's going on and he was informed by the father i brought my son and your disciples could not heal him in verse 21 jesus asked the father how long is it to go since this came upon him and he said of a child and often times mark 9 23 22 he hath cast him into the fire and into the waters to destroy him but if thou canst do anything have compassion upon us and help us now this is the father speaking an individual jesus said if thou canst believe all things are possible to them that believe and straightway the father of jesus cried out and said with tears lord i believe help thou my unbelief i believe this is a man i believe but all the faith he had was this no god is a good god we say that all the time psalm 105 for the lord is good and this is absolutely true god is good but we ought sometimes to pause and reflect meditate focus on the extent to which god is good the bible says without faith it is impossible to please god hebrews 11 6 that man virtually said this is all the faith i had because he said lord i believe help thou my unbelief he says i believe that he says unbelief his faith was small here is an individual with little faith but all the faith he had he put in christ and jesus answered his cry granted him his petition and healed his son help thou my unbelief wherever you are if this is all the faith you have put it in christ exercise that faith and with that exercise of faith say as that man said lord help thou my unbelief and anyone who utters that cry will not go unrewarded by god of mercy who is listening and watching my question to you which is the title of the message how are you doing let's go to john chapter 5. john 5. we'll read from verse 1. i read from the king james version of the bible it's my favorite version when i study i refer to other versions but for public speaking and memorization i just love the music and the language of the king james version before i read that passage let's pray again dear god hold me in your arms uphold me with your power let my voice be your voice my words your words i pray in jesus name amen after this there was a feast of the jews and jesus went up to jerusalem now there is at jerusalem by the sheep market a pool which is called in the hebrew tongue bethesda having five porches in these lay a great multitude of impotent fork of blind halt withered waiting for the moving of the water for an angel went down at a certain season into the pool and troubled the water whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had and a certain man was there notice the bible says there was a great multitude of blind halt withered waiting for the moving of the water a great multitude now the focus is on one the individual and a certain man was there verse five which had an infirmity thirty and eight years he had been unemployed a long time he had been sick a long time he had been searching whatever a long time this man had been suffering and there's someone listening to me who has been in an unfortunate condition for years fighting cigarettes for years hiking alcohol for years fighting drug addiction this man had a condition thirty and eight years verse six when jesus saw him lie and knew that he'd been now a long time in that case he said unto him will thou be made whole there were sick people all around jesus remember the bible says in these laid the porches a great multitude of impotent fork of blind halt withered a great multitude jesus zeroed in for reasons best known to him on one man will thou be made whole let me put that in fresno english would you like your circumstances changed would you like a reversal of fortune fortune is not the best word but i'll use it would you like your life to take a different direction would you like your marriage improved would you like to see a difference in the behavior of your children jesus targets the man's conditions wilt thou be made whole the impotent man answered him verse 7 sir i have no man when the water is troubled to put me into the pool but while i'm coming another step is down before me at the question of jesus will thou be made whole he should have just said yes but god is so merciful so patient jesus listens his excuse sir i have no man the word or the expression i have no man simply means i have no person whether male or female to help me someone listening to me now you've come to the place where you believe not no friends or relatives are willing to help you you have no man no woman no human being no creative being who can come to your rescue and you're up to here in trouble and distress and there's no one to whom you can turn and the god of the universe is looking right at you and via this message and by his spirit he has come to where you are and as jesus asked that man will thou be made whole when blind bartimaeus cried out thou son of david have mercy upon me jesus said what will thou have me to do unto thee what do you want when god puts that question to you god is giving you a blank check and he tells you write the amount i've already signed it in the blood of my son you write the amount here is a blind check a blank check what do you want and christ said to that man will thou be made whole do you want your sins forgiven you need a job are you sick you need healing tell god what you need regardless of who else is around you suffering tell god what you need we read verse 6 again he said unto him will thou be made whole the imminent man answered him sir i have no man when the water is troubled to put me into the pool there are some people whose condition make them close to helpless i say close to helpless because as long as god is on the throne no one is entirely helpless but from the standpoint of human assistance they are helpless i have no man when the water is troubled to put me into the pool but while i'm coming as i make my feeble effort because i am so slow i cannot walk so i have to try to roll my way into the pool sick people who can walk they get in before me another step is down before me people are always getting ahead i submitted my application along with others they got a call for an interview i did not get one i submitted my application for medical school my friend was called i was not called i did this i did that along with others they receive responses i receive none while i am coming another step is down before me there's always someone ahead of me in this life jesus saith unto him arise take up thy bed and walk he did not say that to any other sick person gathered around that pool insofar as the bible informs us or the writings of ellen white why christ knows why or whatever christ does is right whatever god does is right the lord is righteous in all his ways and holy in all his works psalm 145 17 for reasons best known to christ christ did not heal anyone else but that man arise take up thy bed and walk that was the man's need to walk and immediately the man was made whole and took of his bed and walked and on the same day was the sabbath the pharisees said unto him that was cured it is the sabbath day it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed he answered them he that made me whole the same said unto me take up thy bed and walk then as they him what man is that which said unto thee take up thy bed and walk and he that was healed was not who it was for jesus had conveyed himself away a multitude being in that place here we have repeated that there was a multitude both sick and those not sick afterward jesus findeth him in the temple verse 14 and said unto him behold thou art made whole sin no more lest the worst thing come unto thee let me introduce a concept into this presentation it is frequently not welcome but it's necessary jesus told that man sin no more lest a worse thing come unto thee in making that statement christ connected sin with sickness someone's saying well i haven't done anything wrong and i'm sick it may not be the result of your individual sin it may simply be that you live in a world of sin let me say it again sickness is the result of sin suffering is the result of sin christ suffered he never sinned but he carried our sins sickness is the result of sin suffering is the result of sin jesus told that man sin no more lest the worst thing come unto thee in chapter 8 of the book of john when jesus forgave the woman taking in adultery she said go and sin no more at the foundation of all suffering and sickness and misery is this thing called sin why am i saying that i'm saying that to introduce this concept to you as you listen to this message how are you doing before i introduce the concept let me pray father in heaven as i continue on the down slope of the message continue to give me your words and your thoughts i pray in jesus name amen in trying to deal with any crisis in your life whether it's job loss sickness family crisis nothing going right the first question you should ask is this something between me and my god of course if someone listening is is uh not a believer not an is an atheist perhaps the person may not feel the need to ask that question but whether you're an atheist or not there's a god in heaven and i'm suggesting to you the first question to ask is there something between me and my god or have i offended god what have i done that possibly brought on these calamities upon me these unfortunate circumstances into my life david prayed in psalm 139 verse 23 24 search me o god and know my heart try me and know my thoughts and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting i say again the foundation the source of sickness suffering calamity unfortunate circumstances sin is a result of all of that and as i continue with how are you doing i want to introduce to you the very very real concept of examining your relationship with god first not the economy not the health system not whether you should wear or not wear a mask have i done something to offend my god sin lies are the foundation of all suffering i sometimes say it may sound silly it's not silly it's very serious people don't die of cancer they die because of sin you go back to genesis chapter 2 read verse 16 17 listen to what the bible says and the lord god commanded the man saying of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat of it for in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die listen to the words of god in the day thou eatest thereof thou shall surely die god pronounce one penalty for sin and that was death he did not say thou shalt be sick he did not say there shall be floods and famine and drought and disease and landslides and mudslides and typhoons and hurricanes and snowstorms all god said was thou shall surely die all the catastrophes that flow or that beset humanity today are all expressions of thou shall surely die we know in genesis chapter 3 that god said to adam because thou has hearkened unto the voice of thy wife and has eaten of the tree of which i commanded thee saying thou shalt not eat of it curse is the ground for thy sake genesis 3 17 the ground was cursed because of sin god didn't tell adam if the day thou eatest thereof i will curse the ground he didn't say that he simply said thou shalt surely die but a curse condition is an expression of a dying society verse 16 genesis 3 unto the woman he said i will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children not only painfully but when you see the lives the children lead sorrow will break your heart this is an expression of a dying world god only said thou shalt surely die but we have all these conditions that beset humanity because the foundation is sin how are you doing what is the relationship between you and your god is this something in your life that displeases god as i said earlier when adam and eve sinned god came down and spoke to adam individually god spoke to eve god spoke to the serpent he announced punishment to eve he announced punishment to adam as a matter of fact in genesis 22 to 24 god tossed the man out of the garden of course a woman went with him but he tossed the man individual why did god curse the earth because the man had seen individual how are you doing are you suffering are you sick there is a god in heaven who is willing wanting and waiting to transform your circumstances give your life to him now i'm not saying if you do not give your life to god he cuts off immediately i'm not saying that because jesus in his mercy he tells us in matthew 5 verse 44 that ye may be the children of your father which is in heaven in verse 43 for verse 45 sorry for he maketh the sun to rise on the evil and on the good and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust so god is so good the sun which represent life is given to the evil and to the good the rain which represents life is given to the just and the unjust so even though you may be unjust and evil and i'm sure you're not that but even though you are god still exercises mercy but god wants to do much more for you because god has blessings that are special his choices blessings and he reserves them for those who obey him and so i ask you again how are you doing have you lost your job have you contracted the coronavirus are you terribly sick has the doctor given you bad news have your children gone astray into the world is your spouse making your life a living hell how are you doing there is a god who is speaking to you individually his name is jesus here's what he tells you in matthew 11 verse 28 come unto me not to a church not at first but i need to say quickly he has a church when you come to him he will guide you to that church but he says first come unto me god is not a concept god is not a vapor christ is a living person he is divine he is human even as i talk about jesus he's watching me listening to me he has still his human condition he understands it is someone who understands your condition and can do something about it in his divinity he understands in his humanity and he says to you come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden i will give you rest our subject how are you doing this invitation is no different really from what christ said to the man at the pool of bethesda will thou be made whole in matthew 11 28 come unto me all you that labor and the heavy lane christ is saying would you like your burden lightened or removed would you like me to carry it for you you have to say individually yes and jesus says come let's see how open-minded jesus is and broad-minded as we continue how are you doing listen to the words closely come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden i will give you rest what does it mean by all ye that labor males females white black hispanic or latino or latina native american european asian educated uneducated rich poor despised beloved employed unemployed jesus says come but god's invitation is individual and so he's saying to you come let's talk about your unemployment come let's talk about your sickness come we will talk about it i will do something about it come unto me all ye that labor and the heavy laden i will give you rest now when jesus says i will give you rest you need to understand that jesus says of himself in john 14 verse 6 i am the way the truth christ cannot lie titus chapter 1 verse 2 which god that cannot lie promised god cannot lie god does not lie and jesus christ is just like god christ does not lie and he says come to me come you may be listening to me seated in a wheelchair and i speak with great respect you don't have to move you come to god here and here and jesus says come to me all you that labor and a heavy laden i will give you rest take my yoke upon you and learn of me for i am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest unto your souls my yoke is easy my burden is light following christ is taking on a light burden let me say that again following christ is the act of taking on a light burden and we give him our burden when christ came by where john the baptist was baptizing in john 1 29 john the baptist said to the listening crowd behold the lamb of god which taketh away the sins of the world the word taketh away simply means to carry as to carry a lord he bears it away when i travel in airports or going through airports i always smile when i see a man in a suit with a backpack just doesn't seem right to me a man in a suit with a backpack backpacks are ubiquitous you see them everywhere people carry these backpacks jesus carries the backpack of our burdens and so john said behold the lamb of god that carries the burdens of the world and the greatest burden you can carry if we listen to the words of christ come on to me ally that labor and a heavy laden and i will give you rest the greatest burden you and i can carry is the burden of sin as i told you earlier all god said was in the day thou eat his thereof thou shalt surely die but we have all these calamities sickness suffering floods disease whatever else all these things are expressions of a dying world then if we come to god the number one thing we need is the removal of the burden of sin because with the departure of sin goes several ago several burdens and calamities as long as we live in this earth we will have troubles and trials yes god allows some for our the testing of our faith but someone walking hand in hand with god will not experience the same troubles as someone who does not walk with god if that were the case where is the advantage of walking with god yes god's people have troubles yes they'll have trials yes they'll have tribulations but they will be managed by god now let me tell you something about god it's a psychological principle but the true principles of psychology are in the bible if your burden is to carry this and god sees it is necessary for the perfection of your character that you carry this burden god will change the way you see the burden he changes the mind for example here am i walking across a plane and i come across a mountain i have to get over that mountain to continue my journey i'm depressed i'm discouraged i'm sad i'm frustrated hey this mountain is getting on my nerves here comes a mountain climber who's also walking and he sees the mountain and his response his reaction is different he breaks into a smile because as a mountain climber he sees a mountain as an exciting challenge and he just can't wait to determine which face of the mountain he will use to climb to reach the summit while i not a mountain climber i'm depressed and i'm sitting down in my tears wishing the mountain would vanish god changes our minds and so we may see our circumstances different whether he changes the mind or he changes the circumstances or he changes both because god knows what's best for us god is willing as i said waiting wanting to ameliorate improve your circumstances and as i come to the end of the message i appeal to you from my heart as someone who has to lean on god someone who needs the divine working in my life day by day moment by moment it is not necessary to remain in your misery it is not necessary at all because there is a god you see misery does not come from god is not of god god is the god of blessing suffering is a result of sin it is not necessary for someone to remain in his or suffering there is a god who is willing to change your circumstances and all i'm saying to you is in the presence of god and by the power of his word come to god you may say but i'm a christian recommit your life to god consider this concept in the bible death is represented by asleep which means last night you and i were dead in a certain sense we were dead to the world we knew not what was happening someone could have come into the bedroom or wherever we slept slit our throats stolen our money stolen our cell phones we had no clue we were asleep we were dead symbolically sleep is death then when we wake in the morning we can see that as a new life a brand new life a resurrection to a new day in that sense every day is a brief little lifetime it ends with death then god by his mercy gives us another lifetime which is a day today is a new lifetime for you it is brief i'm saying to you today give your life to god last night all over the world including where you are people went to sleep and i say this often they were found dead this morning every morning people found dead in hospitals on the streets in homeless shelters in private homes on the battlefield every morning around the world people who go to bed the night before are found dead now you and i went to bed last night we're alive today what am i trying to say god has chosen to preserve our lives another day and i'm saying to you this may be the day when god is saying my son my daughter come give your life to me put your life in my hand because anything in my hand i can defend i can sustain i can nourish i can protect give him your life our subject was how are you doing right now as i close this message talk to god tell god i need a job someone wrote me on uh what's it what's that last night i believe it was i'm through with all this god stuff this christianity stuff i am a defeated man i wrote back quickly why god doesn't answer my prayer i have weakness this weakness that weakness i fall i fall i cannot stop so i wrote him some bible verses and a chapter from steps to christ he wrote back this morning with a sample of what he read he said i found this very encouraging and i sent him an audio recording and he wrote back thank you very much this was encouraging and i'm praying for him and i want him to know there's a god who can pull him from the brink wherever you are give this to god there's one good reason you must give this to god this is your life your heart because it belongs to him he is creator and his savior the bible says in first corinthians 6 20 for year bought with a price the bible says in psalm 24 1 the earth is the lord's and the fullness thereof the world and they that dwell therein you belong to god and so in giving your life to god you're just giving him what is his tell god you need a job you've been out of work for years tell god you're suffering tell god you're under persecution on the job tell god you've been outcast or cast out by your family members tell god you're all alone and desperate for social support tell god what's going on because god is asking you as jesus asked that man and as jesus asked uh blind bartimaeus how are you doing you can tell god i'm doing badly and i need help and as surely as that man in mark 9 told jesus if thou canst do anything have compassion on us and help us you say to god if you are god and say it respectfully have compassion on me in my circumstances and help me and as i close by faith listen to god saying to you how are you doing tell him not well i need help and you will hear him say come unto me you individually you're laboring you're heavy laden and i the create of heaven and earth for whom nothing is impossible will give you rest may the lord bless

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Keywords: Seventh-day Adventist, Dr. Eric Walsh, Christian, SermonsNEC, North England Conference, Camp Meeting 2019, NEC Youth, Truth, Sabbath, Sermon, Experience, Tribulation's Song | My Testimony - Dr. Eric Walsh, Tribulation's Song, Dr. Eric Walshvideo, sharing, camera phone, video phone, free, uploaddr. eric walsh abortion, eric walsh sermon abortion, Seventh-day Adventist abortion, oakwood university abortion, religious liberty SDA church, Bible prophecy Sunday law, STREAM FACTS

Id: BVo5wPoMoM4

Length: 215min 14sec (12914 seconds)

Published: Fri Aug 13 2021