"Recommending A Stranger" by Randy Skeete

our Father in heaven we thank you that we can come into your presence without the fear of persecution or prosecution we thank you for this freedom day God and we ask in the name of Jesus come very close to us in the person of your spirit I pray that you open our eyes and our understanding that we may receive the word as it is brought to us that we may receive it not only into our heads but into our hearts I ask you to take possession of my mind all of me as I offer myself to you that you may use me as your loud speaker tonight I humble myself before your day god I just want to lift you up not me help me to do that I pray a special blessing on those who are with us for the very first time tonight father grant them a double and a triple blessing in every area of their lives if they're those still on their way bring them safely they God remember our faithful friends joining us by the internet wherever they are bless them I pray please let them sense your spirit and though they are miles away let us be one in heart and spirit I offer this prayer in Jesus name let God's people say amen and amen recommending a stranger Daniel chapter 2 reading from verse 1 and we will read from the King James Version of the Bible Daniel chapter 2 reading from verse 1 have you found Daniel chapter 2 reading from verse long and in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams were with his spirit was troubled and his sleep break from him then the king commanded to call the magicians and the astrologers and the soothsayers and the Chaldeans for to show the King his dreams so they came and stood before the king and the king said unto them I have dreamed the dream were with my spirit was trouble to know the dream then speak the Chaldeans to the king in Syriac or King live forever tell thy servants a dream and we will show the interpretation the King answered and said to the Chaldeans the thing is gone from me if you will not make known unto me the dream with the interpretation thereof he shall be cut in pieces and your houses shall be made a dunghill but if he sure the dream and the interpretation thereof he shall receive of me gifts and rewards and honored therefore show me the dream and the interpretation there are the answered again and said let the king tell his servants to dream and we will show the interpretation of it the King answered and said I know of a certainty that he would gain the time because you see the thing is gone from me but if he will not make known unto me the dream there is but one decree for you for year prepared a lion and corrupt worse to speak before me till the time be changed therefore tell me the dream and I shall know that he can show me the interpretation thereof now the king is in a fix abide he had a dream he cannot remember the dream he calls the magician's the astrologers the sorcerers the Chaldeans and I guess if the book were written today we would include the Keeks and the fortune tellers have those who read cards and those who read the palms of your hand and which duchess and diviners and also read the entrails of animals he called all the experts that they might tell him what the two things what he dreamt and what the dream meant they could not tell him what the dream meant until they knew what he had dreamt but he couldn't recall he wanted them to tell him what he had read which is an impossible task and then to explain and he threatens them with death if they couldn't tell him first then the Chaldeans answered before the king and said there is not a man upon the earth how do they know that that is sure the Kings matter therefore there is no king Lord nor ruler that such thing at any magician or astrologer or Chaldean and if there's a rare thing that the King requires and there's none other that can show it before the king except the gods whose dwelling is not with flesh now some people make sweeping statements there is not a man upon the earth but they were wrong there was a man upon the earth to whom God will reveal the dream we live in a world which says there is not a group of people on the earth where all the races get along there is not a church on the earth where there's no backbiting and infighting and backstabbing for positions at election time there is not a community on the earth where this doesn't happen and this doesn't happen and God sits in heaven and God hears that while claim and God says but I have got somebody if someone makes a statement there is not a church in Silver Springs with the members are serious about God the remnant should say it wait a minute wait a minute you were wrong the wise men the Chaldeans the astrologers or sorcerers they were wrong there was a man but they went on to say in verse 11 and it is a rare thing that the King requires and there is none other that can shoe it before the king except the gods whose dwelling is not with flesh what's our subject recommending a stranger the Chaldeans the astrologers the sorcerers the Chaldeans they they realize they knew they had some awareness of a power beyond themselves are you following me we can infer that from the verse except the gods whose dwelling is not refreshed they are aware that there is a power beyond them that can tell the king his dream and so they are telling the grave did you read the king if you desire to know what you dreamt along with the interpretation the only person who can tell you that we can recommend is the gods whom they really did know quite well because it might have been referring to the god of Daniel without knowing it you know Paul on Mars Hill said whom therefore he ignorantly worship Him declare I unto you they did not know the god of Daniel they did not know the God of creation but they knew there was a power above and beyond them and beyond their own gods on whom they depended to practice their magic and their gods could not tell them what the King had dreamt and so they went a level above there is a power whose dwelling is not with flesh that power alone can reveal to you your dream they were recommending a stranger because they did not finish it for me nor him they might have known about him but they did not know him personally now before you and I look down on the Chaldeans that is applicable to a lot of so-called Christians who attend church regularly we know that there's a God whose dwelling is not with flesh we have heard his name we have read his book we have listened to others speak of his movement in their lies but for all intents and purposes in our lives he is nothing more than a stranger and when we tell others you want to give your life to God we are recommending a stranger because we don't know him in John chapter 17 let's go there reading from verse 1 as we continue with the subject recommending a stranger the theme for these two weeks is one with him but how can we be one with a God who's a stranger to us John 17 reading from verse 1 the Bible says these words speak Jesus and lift up his eyes to heaven and said father the hour is come glorify thy son that thy son also may glorify thee as thou hast given him power over all flesh that he should give eternal life to as many as thou has given him verse 3 and this is life eternal read with me now that they might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent strong salvation cannot be separated from a knowledge of God this is life eternal says Christ in a prayer that they meeting his disciples might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou has sent listen to the Apostle Paul in Timothy chapter 1 verse 12 for the which cause I also suffer these things nevertheless I'm not ashamed for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he's able to keep that which hath committed unto him until that day Paul says I know God and because I know him I have confidently committed my life into his hands because I know he will keep it why should I commit my life into the hands of a god that I don't know Paul knew God personally my brothers and sisters you must be sure that you're more than a church member because the men who said crucify him there were church members they were not children of God Paul was not just a church member he was a child of God he knew God and so when Paul preached about God he was not preaching about a stranger he was preaching about someone he knew and the thing about God is that God is over eager to reveal himself to us he tells us in Jeremiah 29 verse 13 and he shall seek me and he shall find me keeps borne with me when he shall search from me how with all your heart it is a guarantee of results there are scientists and laboratories all over the world they are seeking the cure for this and that they are searching with all their hearts and every year they write proposals for funding and they receive millions of dollars of funding and there is no guarantee they will get the results they desire God offers us a search a pursuit for which no funding is required and the results are guaranteed seat me search for me but if you do it how with all your heart what's the outcome you'll find me let me speak directly but with respect if you as a church member a so-called Christian a believer have not found God it's because you have not looked with all your heart God is the most findable person is there such a word I just made he's the most findable person in the universe he is quick to lift the veil of darkness that we may catch glimpses of who he is because it is only as we know him that we grow it is only as we know him that our lives change and so the st. Paul in 2nd Corinthians 3 verse 18 but we all with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory even binds the Spirit of the Lord what Paul is saying as we look at God as we study God as we learn of God that experience changes us and we become like God you become like him as we behold so Jesus says in Matthew 11:28 2:30 come on to me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and 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 he says take my yoke upon you and learn of me and in learning of God what do we receive rest unto our source when you know God you can handle adversity with calm mind when I know God's I can handle a setback without needing the intervention of a psychiatrist when I know God I can take abuse calmly Jesus says learn of me and ye shall find rest unto your souls many of us our problem is we do not know God we know the church and thank God for the church we know there's a book called the Bible thank God for the Bible we know there's a being called God we're grateful for that but to embark on a personal search to know him individually that is where we are lacking and so sister a knows God because of what brother be said about God until you know God for yourself you don't know God you know about God and so in Romans chapter 4 from verse 20 speaking of Abraham the Bible says he staggered not at the promise of God and unbelief but was strong in faith giving glory to God and being fully persuaded that what he had promised he was able also to perform now why was Abraham fully persuaded because Abraham knew God and because he knew God he accepted the impossible from God what was the impossible Sarah's womb was dead his loins were dead for slighty from a dead line under dead womb abraham believed that life would issue yeah you didn't hear me you talk about impossible it's a law that lies begets life am I right scientists life to get by the way I don't want to steal but Ben's thunder what a good reason for not eating meat is that if you bury a piece of beef a cow doesn't grow you didn't hear me because that piece of beef can give life if you bury a seed what happens actually grows life gives life so when God arranged for us to eat he arranged us to eat what gives life you bury fruit the tree the seed we produce a tree you bury peace a baby back rib and all you get are worms and a bad smell and so again just the support brother Ben when we eat let's eat life come on somebody say Amen God is the resurrection and the life this when we eat this we know God when we take in divine nutrition we develop a constitution like God we can't become God but we become like God and so I am recommending Abraham knew God because he knew God he believed what God said I will bring life from death with his contrary to what the scientists say the scientists also said matter can never be destroyed nor created but that does not apply to God God created matter and he can destroy it so God is above the law I didn't say God is law less I'm saying you cannot bind God by law laws floor from God laws don't create God so when a scientist says matter can neither be created nor destroyed it does not apply to God when Santa cell life was produced life it does not apply to God because from the deadness of Abraham's womb and the deadness of the Lord Sarah's womb and the deadness of the lords of Abraham up came the life of exit wife and Abraham leave that because he knew God God was not a stranger tonight and recommending to you a God with whom I desire that you develop a friendship God is a very individual God and as one of the subjects I love to present because it is often overlooked the individual approach God takes to people you look at the parable of the lost sheep in Luke chapter 15 from about verse 3 now Jesus says a parable he says what man of you having 100 sheep hundred means a totality of sheep if he lose one of them now for you statisticians 99 and a hundred are the same thing statistically we round up ninety six is a hundred ninety-one is 90 you see you round up and down God is a round off but we'll round off tonight what man of you having a hundred sheep if he lose one of them does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after that which was lost until what did I say until he find it until presents to us the determination with God which God pursues every individual to save that person there's not a living being God hasn't found but without taking the parable of sheep too far when a shepherd finds a sheep he picks up the Sheep now the Shepherd needs our permission to pick us up until he find it when he findeth it he lays it upon his shoulder rejoicing God leaves the ninety and nine in the wilderness and he goes after that sheep by himself so when he finds it it is just the Sheep and Christ are you with me that's one to one but let me introduce something else that search is conducted at the risk of the life of the shepherd you remember that David killed a bear remember there they try to eat a sheep David also killed what other dangerous animal a lion there were lions and bears in that part of the world hyenas wolves they were dangerous now they've all been hunted to extinction in that part of the world but understand in the days of David in the days of Jesus there were wild animals in that part of the world so in Jesus gives the parable of the shepherd going out looking for the Sheep he is doing so at the risk of his life to save one because the shepherd doesn't want to be a stranger to the Sheep he wants to be a friend he wants to be a god he wants to be a savior my brothers and sisters many of us suffer for no other reason than that we do not understand God desires to have a personal relationship with us salvation has no room for stranger stranger relationship through faith in Christ he and we share the same blood and we become one through faith in Christ that's why the Bible says he's not ashamed to call them brethren because he came as one of us God is knocking on our hearts tonight my son my daughter I want to have a relationship with you not with the church first and foremost when Christ met Paul on the road to Damascus in Acts chapter 9 the Bible says in verse 3 and as he journeyed he came near Damascus and suddenly they shine round about him a light from heaven and he fell to the earth and heard a voice saying at him Saul Saul why persecutest thou me and he said who are thou Lord and the Lord said I am Jesus whom the persecutest it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks now Jesus meets with Paul one-on-one first introduces himself I am Jesus Paul and Christ after that introduction in verse six and he trembling and afraid said Lord what wilt thou have me to do and the Lord said unto Him arise and go into the city and it shall be told thee what thou must do now Jesus goes from jess himself and Paul then he introduces Paul to the church now you follow me but tonight I'm stressing first of all that one-to-one contact with Christ it does not begin with contact with the church it begins with contact with a man called Jesus who was God still is God and still is man tremendous mystery but one which when we study it it changes our lives this man god of this god man desires a relationship with you and so he says in matthew 11:28 come to me that's a personal invitation and it's not a joke come to me who is he talking to all ye that labor men women no gender discrimination rich poor educated illiterate white black red yellow blue green come to me and I will give you what rest why will he give it because you can't give it to yourself anything you can do for yourself God doesn't do I've said it before that's why when he parted the Red Sea he did not pick them up they have to cross when he sent the manner he did not pick it up they had to pick cookie whatever God does for us is because we cannot do it for ourselves so when he says I will give you rest it means the kind of rest we cannot give no human being can give himself rest from guilt a guilty conscience can be put at rest only by God now a guilty conscience can be suppressed by a human being but it cannot enjoy rest unless that rest is given by God and so Jesus says come to me but it's Jesus being funny why do I ask tough question what does John 6:44 we have 10 minutes then we finished our subject is recommending a stranger John 6:44 remember if you need time to write the first down just ask me out loud I don't mind and I'll repeat the verse John 6:44 listen to what Jesus says you have John 6:44 read with me and no man can come unto me except the Father which have sent me draw him now Jesus says no one can come to me but he says in Matthew 11:28 come we have a problem so it seems what Jesus means in John 6:44 no sinner listen to me carefully no sinner no human being of his or her own self can just get up and go to Christ it's impossible because we're born with what kind of nature the sinful nature and the sinful nature instinctively naturally reflexively and genetically avoids God no Mouse gets up and goes to cat are you with me so when Jesus has come to me it appears as if he's asking the impossible but Jesus can see a come to me because he has first come to us are you with me he has to come to you first this meeting maybe the way a class of chosen to come to somebody if God does not move first no one comes to him and so when Adam and Eve sinned in the garden in first aid of Genesis 3 the Bible says and the eyes of them both were naked no first he says and they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day they're earned but having heard instead of moving to the voice which they had heard on previous occasions they hid themselves that's the natural response of the sinful nature that we were born so as God had to come in the garden God is always the one who has to move first and I say again these meetings may be God's way of moving first in somebody's life now he's waiting for you now to react to his initial movement and so Jesus says come to me when he said it back then people just came physically now we come through the world back then they also came through the word because when they came they were ablai they were obeying what he said come to me now we just the equivalent of the presence of Christ is his word let me say that more simply Christ is not on the earth anymore we can't hold him a touch about the disciples did but we have the word no difference that's why Jesus says if he abide in me and my words abide in you Christ abides in us through his word and so when he says come to me we come in obedience to his word and he has promised him that comes to me I will in no wise cast out a man may reject you a woman may reject you your spouse may reject you the professor may reject you your friends may reject you not God let me say it again not God not Christ when you cognizant Lord receive me yes why because God right now is standing at the door of your heart that's what he says in Revelation chapter 3 verse 20 behold I stand at the door and knock as I said last night was right before for Christ to do that he must be standing on the territory of your heart so he has come and he knocks the devil kicks the door down and comes in not Christ you see you must make a choice he knocks and all he wants is for you to just open it on he says if I will come to him and will sup with him and he with me so you no longer a stranger he's a companion you see the word companion comes from two Latin words come which means with and panis which means bread so companion someone with whom you eat bread you see so psalm 41 verse 9 prophet sang about Judas says mine own familiar friend in whom I trusted which did eat of my bread half listen up his heel against me and so in Jesus says I will sup with him we will have companionship he uses a symbol as well known to his audience let's break bread together and right now Christ is at the door of your heart he cannot open the door you must why is it he can open the door Christ forces himself into no one's life the most popular Bible verse says for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son who is knocking now that whosoever but so ever openeth yes should not perish but have everlasting life let me close the Bible to let you know I'm about to release you it's got a stranger to you if he is you and I can make a decision tonight I want to know God the Bible says in 2nd Peter chapter 1 Simon Peter a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ that's Peter speaking to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and I'll say for Jesus Christ's grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord according as his divine power have given unto us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of him that have called us to glory and virtue is the knowledge of him the knowledge of him 2nd Peter chapter 3 verse 18 but growing grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ it's the knowledge tonight you and I can make a decision I want to know God we are living in times my brothers and sisters well the only thing that will take us through is a fixed unmovable personal knowledge of God because offense will come upon this world that will shake people out of the church who just know about God and who do not know God those three Hebrew boys they knew God and so when Nebuchadnezzar threaten them with fiery death they said to him in verse 16 of Daniel 3 Shadrach mister Abednego answered and said to the king o Nebuchadnezzar we're not careful to answer thee in this matter if it be so our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace and he will deliver us out of thy hand O king the Oh God then you not only he had the power but the final decision to save or not save was up to him they knew that and they surrender to that verse 18 says but if not even if he doesn't and we know he can whatever he chooses we are surrendered to it in that crisis our facing death what gave them strength they knew God they knew him we must know God because if we don't know God our faith cannot stand and so tonight I ask you from my heart as your brother make a decision simple father help me to embark on a search I want to know who Jesus is and the way to know who Jesus is is to study his life everything you learn about Jesus his character his love his mercies that's exactly how the father is so you're not pursuing a knowledge of two people separately you're pursuing a knowledge of Christ and whatever you learn of Christ you learn of the father because Jesus says he that have seen me have seen the father whatever your difficulty is God has the answer is that all the immense I get whatever your difficulty is maybe this is a congregation without difficulties whatever your difficulty is what did I say Jesus has the answer here's what he says to you they have no temptation taken you but such as is common to man but God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you're able the word temptation that verse needs a trial or tribulation but will with the temptation also make a way of escape my brothers and sisters for every trial you have there's a way out but it's God who makes the way out and we have to work with God so we get to the way out and God that leads us to the way out God doesn't point the way and say God he takes us he does not tell the earth lies here's a map cross the wilderness he led them are you with me so God doesn't send us along the highway of life he needs us our hands in his will you not say father helped me to learn of you because your word says if I know you I'll have peace how many will say with me father I want to know you for myself mace your right hand stand up with me we pray it's 8:30 I hope you come back tomorrow to listen to God's Word again our theme is one with him I was subject tonight recommending a stranger heads bowed eyes closed our Father in Heaven we thank you for your patience for being so long-suffering father and I mean long-suffering you've stretched out your hand to us in friendship crisis stretched out his hand to us in Brotherhood and we've ignored it brush it away knocked it away Father in heaven I hope that something I said tonight will touch someone's heart no one needs to go through this difficult life alone there is a God whose son equal with himself is willing to walk this way with us he is knocking at the door of our hearts because he wants a relationship with us father so difficult to believe sometimes that the great God who said let there be light wants to have a relationship with sinners but father tonight we've seen from your word that you have invited us to come to you and you will do for us what we cannot do for ourselves and that is to give rest our souls not just our bodies our souls that's where we're hurting in our souls day God and so I pray that your spirit will touch every person tonight when we go home father let us take five minutes to open one of the Gospels and just read a little about Jesus asking as we read father show me something about my Savior I do not want him to be a stranger I want him to be an intimate friend there god bless everyone who listened to this message in person and by the internet as we leave father let the Holy Angels escort us to our homes let us reflect on what we've heard and father help us to arrange circumstances so that we can be here tomorrow morning to listen to your word again thank you for hearing us thank you for loving us in Jesus name we pray let God's people say Amen and

Channel: Remnant SDA Church

Views: 10,713

Rating: 4.7935486 out of 5

Keywords: Remnant, SDA, Church, Adventist, Christian, Seventh-day, Gospel, Worship, Sabbath, Recommending, Stranger, Randy, Skeete, Vespers, One With Him, Revival

Id: N5zE9VtbJPo

Length: 39min 11sec (2351 seconds)

Published: Sat Dec 14 2013