1 00:00:03,840 --> 00:00:08,119 This is Living Waters of Grace, the teaching ministry of Clark 2 00:00:08,119 --> 00:00:12,680 Waffer, senior pastor of Calvary Chapel of Westmoreland, County 3 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:16,400 of Greensburg, PA. Now here's Pastor Clark as he 4 00:00:16,400 --> 00:00:18,720 continues teaching through God's Word. 5 00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:39,520 He's revealed them to us, but many of us as Christians, we're 6 00:00:39,520 --> 00:00:42,200 like sitting here, die. I really don't know what he's 7 00:00:42,200 --> 00:00:45,040 talking about because I haven't really seen some things. 8 00:00:45,320 --> 00:00:48,680 I haven't really heard some things I haven't really seen 9 00:00:48,720 --> 00:00:51,720 poured into my heart, the things that God's prepared for me 10 00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:54,800 because I love them. I maybe feel bankrupt. 11 00:00:54,800 --> 00:00:57,440 I feel like I'm just going through the motions, or I feel 12 00:00:57,440 --> 00:01:00,520 like my Christianity is dry, or I'm backslidden. 13 00:01:00,520 --> 00:01:03,800 Or we use all this terminology because it's been a long time 14 00:01:03,800 --> 00:01:07,480 since we've heard the voice of God speak clearly to us. 15 00:01:07,720 --> 00:01:11,360 Can we all agree it's a lot easier to doubt someone than to 16 00:01:11,360 --> 00:01:14,240 trust them? Even if they were faithful for a 17 00:01:14,240 --> 00:01:18,600 long time, it's easier for us to say, you know what I doubt that 18 00:01:18,600 --> 00:01:20,560 you're as good as you've been in the past. 19 00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:24,480 Today, Pastor Clark says we do this all the time with God. 20 00:01:24,840 --> 00:01:27,960 We forget about what he's done and only look at what he's given 21 00:01:27,960 --> 00:01:30,080 us. In the short term, you must 22 00:01:30,080 --> 00:01:32,800 remind yourself of the goodness of God every day. 23 00:01:33,280 --> 00:01:37,040 The enemy wants you to doubt him, but you must stand firm on 24 00:01:37,040 --> 00:01:40,760 the truths of Scripture. Now here's Pastor Clark in 25 00:01:40,760 --> 00:01:44,960 Revelation Chapter 4 with today's edition of Living Waters 26 00:01:44,960 --> 00:01:47,680 of Grace. So Paul had this awesome 27 00:01:47,680 --> 00:01:50,880 encounter with God, this incredible experience. 28 00:01:51,640 --> 00:01:53,160 He can't even really talk about it. 29 00:01:53,160 --> 00:01:57,320 He can't communicate in words he said the things he heard were 30 00:01:57,320 --> 00:01:59,680 not even translatable into human language. 31 00:02:00,160 --> 00:02:03,360 But it was an amazing thing. He was never ever the same after 32 00:02:03,360 --> 00:02:06,040 this. And, and to the fact that God in 33 00:02:06,040 --> 00:02:11,080 his mercy gave him a university to keep him humble so that he 34 00:02:11,080 --> 00:02:13,600 wouldn't think he was better or more spiritual than anybody 35 00:02:13,600 --> 00:02:16,280 else. And I really believe as we see 36 00:02:16,280 --> 00:02:21,280 great things from God in our lives, God is obviously very 37 00:02:21,640 --> 00:02:25,320 wise and cautious with what he entrusts us with so that we 38 00:02:25,320 --> 00:02:28,960 don't walk around thinking we're something we're not and using 39 00:02:28,960 --> 00:02:32,560 our experience to manipulate others. 40 00:02:32,840 --> 00:02:35,680 I think so many of the people that we see on TV today who 41 00:02:35,680 --> 00:02:39,440 claim that they've had voices from God or experiences or 42 00:02:39,440 --> 00:02:42,920 whatever, if you study what they say and line it up with the 43 00:02:42,920 --> 00:02:45,240 Scriptures, you'll find that it's bankrupt. 44 00:02:46,120 --> 00:02:49,920 There's no experience or any encounter that I'm talking about 45 00:02:49,920 --> 00:02:52,640 today. We're trying to convey that is 46 00:02:52,640 --> 00:02:54,920 independent of what the scriptures teach. 47 00:02:55,480 --> 00:02:57,760 Nowadays people will say, I have an experience. 48 00:02:58,000 --> 00:03:00,560 Well, if the experience isn't aligned with the Scriptures, it, 49 00:03:00,640 --> 00:03:03,280 I don't care what they say their experience is, it's not 50 00:03:03,600 --> 00:03:05,640 biblical. That's the problem. 51 00:03:05,640 --> 00:03:09,480 Nowadays people will debate their experiences over the word 52 00:03:09,480 --> 00:03:12,440 of God and, and that's why people get into heresy and 53 00:03:12,440 --> 00:03:14,880 delusion. But nonetheless, these people 54 00:03:14,880 --> 00:03:21,080 are singing this new song and God has also given Paul as well 55 00:03:21,080 --> 00:03:25,480 as the writer of Revelation, the apostle John, this experience. 56 00:03:25,480 --> 00:03:29,560 If you turn to Revelation chapter 4, now I know some of 57 00:03:29,560 --> 00:03:32,200 you quite well and you've told me at times where God has 58 00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:37,040 revealed himself to you in very specific ways that are very 59 00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:40,320 extraordinary. And it's, it's changed your 60 00:03:40,320 --> 00:03:42,840 life. It says in the throne room of 61 00:03:42,840 --> 00:03:45,800 heaven in Revelation 4, John saying after these things, I 62 00:03:45,800 --> 00:03:48,880 looked up and behold a door standing open in heaven. 63 00:03:49,120 --> 00:03:51,440 And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet 64 00:03:51,440 --> 00:03:55,040 speaking with me saying, come up here and I will show you things 65 00:03:55,040 --> 00:03:56,760 which, which which must take place. 66 00:03:56,760 --> 00:04:00,280 After this, immediately I was in the spirit and behold a throne 67 00:04:00,280 --> 00:04:02,720 set in heaven. And once sat in in the throne, 68 00:04:03,040 --> 00:04:06,240 immediately I was in the Spirit, the Holy Spirit. 69 00:04:07,320 --> 00:04:10,200 This out of curiosity, has anybody ever experienced 70 00:04:10,200 --> 00:04:15,280 something that is not normal in the sense of what we would 71 00:04:15,280 --> 00:04:18,279 consider normal in regard to your relationship with the Holy 72 00:04:18,279 --> 00:04:21,480 Spirit? Raise your hand, there's quite a 73 00:04:21,480 --> 00:04:25,160 few people in here who have encountered God and a very deep 74 00:04:25,160 --> 00:04:26,360 way. Now that doesn't mean you're any 75 00:04:26,360 --> 00:04:29,280 more spiritual any better that this means maybe you were more 76 00:04:29,280 --> 00:04:33,200 hungry or more yielded or God's sovereign hand chose to reveal 77 00:04:33,200 --> 00:04:36,520 or manifest something to you. Recently I was praying with a 78 00:04:36,520 --> 00:04:39,560 brother and we were in a church and we were praying and we're 79 00:04:39,560 --> 00:04:43,000 talking about a lot of things and I was praying and then all 80 00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:46,200 of a sudden he was praying and he, he began to have some 81 00:04:46,200 --> 00:04:49,560 ecstatic encounter with, with God that I, I couldn't 82 00:04:49,560 --> 00:04:52,040 understand or comprehend. At first I thought he was maybe 83 00:04:52,040 --> 00:04:55,920 going crazy, but he wasn't. God was just like blowing his 84 00:04:55,920 --> 00:05:00,400 mind and revealing to him the Kingdom of God and its depth and 85 00:05:00,560 --> 00:05:05,440 all those cloud of witnesses are with the Lord that we're 86 00:05:05,440 --> 00:05:07,480 surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses. 87 00:05:07,480 --> 00:05:10,440 You know, in Hebrews it says, let us run with patience. 88 00:05:10,440 --> 00:05:13,280 Erase it is set before us. And he said, Clark, he says, I 89 00:05:13,280 --> 00:05:18,040 never experienced in my prayer life anything like I've just 90 00:05:18,040 --> 00:05:20,600 experienced. Now, he couldn't really explain. 91 00:05:20,760 --> 00:05:23,880 All I knew is that God met him in a very deep and profound way. 92 00:05:24,360 --> 00:05:28,000 And I am encouraged to know that God desires to do that in our 93 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:30,320 lives at different times. I can't make that happen. 94 00:05:30,720 --> 00:05:34,120 I can't set up that situation. But if I'm hungering and I'm 95 00:05:34,120 --> 00:05:38,040 thirsting for God, he will reveal himself because God works 96 00:05:38,320 --> 00:05:42,080 in the midst of what we would claim or call a supernatural, 97 00:05:42,080 --> 00:05:44,480 which I don't even like using that word, but it's 98 00:05:44,600 --> 00:05:46,760 extraordinary. It's outside the realm of 99 00:05:46,760 --> 00:05:50,040 natural thought, right? If you turn to Acts chapter 2, 100 00:05:50,040 --> 00:05:51,680 now, we're living in the last days. 101 00:05:52,440 --> 00:05:55,920 And these things are occurring even now as we speak throughout 102 00:05:55,920 --> 00:05:58,280 the world in different ways, in different dimensions. 103 00:05:58,840 --> 00:06:01,920 Peters sermon, he's standing up preaching Christ. 104 00:06:02,480 --> 00:06:05,480 And after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, he says these are 105 00:06:05,480 --> 00:06:07,640 not drunk as you suppose in verse 15. 106 00:06:07,880 --> 00:06:09,520 It's only the third hour of the day. 107 00:06:09,680 --> 00:06:12,000 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel. 108 00:06:12,240 --> 00:06:15,240 It shall come to pass. And the last day says God, that 109 00:06:15,240 --> 00:06:18,680 I will pour out my spirit on all flesh, your sons and your 110 00:06:18,680 --> 00:06:21,320 daughters shall prophecy. Now a lot of day, a lot of 111 00:06:21,320 --> 00:06:23,640 things today people are claiming they're prophesying. 112 00:06:23,840 --> 00:06:27,960 What does it mean to prophecy? Well, the clear rendering of 113 00:06:27,960 --> 00:06:32,440 that gift is someone who's has the capability of edifying, 114 00:06:32,680 --> 00:06:36,320 building up people, exhorting people, warning people and 115 00:06:36,320 --> 00:06:38,640 comforting people. Paul says I desire that you all 116 00:06:38,640 --> 00:06:42,720 prophecy but the day we've gotten out of that biblical 117 00:06:42,720 --> 00:06:45,520 mandate of what true prophecy is and someone will say up thus 118 00:06:45,520 --> 00:06:48,240 sayeth the Lord of hosts Bah Bah this Bah Bah, and they're just 119 00:06:48,240 --> 00:06:51,720 like spewing their own thoughts and their own mind saying that 120 00:06:51,720 --> 00:06:54,040 the Lord said this and it's it's very dangerous. 121 00:06:54,240 --> 00:06:56,760 Jeremiah says these people in the last days will claim to be 122 00:06:56,760 --> 00:06:59,920 prophets speaking for me, and God says I did not speak to 123 00:06:59,920 --> 00:07:02,160 them. They're not speaking my word, 124 00:07:02,160 --> 00:07:05,680 they're not speaking my truth. But nonetheless, there will be 125 00:07:05,680 --> 00:07:10,680 this movement of God's Spirit in such a way that people will have 126 00:07:10,680 --> 00:07:14,680 insights to be able to say things to you and to me without 127 00:07:14,680 --> 00:07:16,800 them even realizing that they're prophesying. 128 00:07:17,520 --> 00:07:20,000 You know, sometimes when someone sits down with me and shares 129 00:07:20,000 --> 00:07:22,240 their heart and talks about something, maybe it's a 130 00:07:22,240 --> 00:07:25,360 situation in the church or situation in their life or 131 00:07:25,360 --> 00:07:28,280 something, and I hear their voice and what they're saying. 132 00:07:28,480 --> 00:07:31,000 I know that what they're saying is coming from God. 133 00:07:31,000 --> 00:07:34,320 I just have a witness in my heart and I don't say, man, you 134 00:07:34,320 --> 00:07:37,040 know, you're prophesying. That's not necessary. 135 00:07:37,280 --> 00:07:41,920 I like what Chuck always says be supernatural naturally, you 136 00:07:41,920 --> 00:07:45,680 don't have to hype it up and and act like all spooky and weird 137 00:07:45,840 --> 00:07:48,520 whenever God's moving. And and I think that the beauty 138 00:07:48,520 --> 00:07:51,960 of God moving many times is he moves through one of us or some 139 00:07:51,960 --> 00:07:55,320 of us, we're not even aware that he's moving right, because if we 140 00:07:55,320 --> 00:07:57,960 were, we would think that we had something to do with it. 141 00:07:58,600 --> 00:08:02,800 But God moves independent of our own psyche. 142 00:08:03,320 --> 00:08:07,240 He speaks through all of your lives to me in different ways as 143 00:08:07,240 --> 00:08:09,440 I trusted. He speaks through my life to 144 00:08:09,440 --> 00:08:12,080 you. And then it says your young men 145 00:08:12,080 --> 00:08:13,960 shall see visions. Now, I'm not going to ask for a 146 00:08:13,960 --> 00:08:16,280 raise a hand because all of a sudden a young man raised his 147 00:08:16,280 --> 00:08:17,720 hand here today and said he saw a vision. 148 00:08:17,720 --> 00:08:19,080 We think he's all nuts, wouldn't we? 149 00:08:19,640 --> 00:08:21,600 That's just the way people are wired nowadays. 150 00:08:21,600 --> 00:08:23,600 They're like real paranoid man. You saw a vision. 151 00:08:23,600 --> 00:08:25,200 You need to see a psychiatrist, you know. 152 00:08:26,280 --> 00:08:28,520 But it says your young man will see visions. 153 00:08:28,520 --> 00:08:31,200 What kind of vision? Maybe it's a vision of an 154 00:08:31,200 --> 00:08:33,760 unreached people group in some part of the world that never has 155 00:08:33,760 --> 00:08:37,159 heard the gospel yet, and you have the capacity by God's 156 00:08:37,159 --> 00:08:40,080 working that you know these people need the gospel and 157 00:08:40,080 --> 00:08:41,840 you're being sent and called to go. 158 00:08:42,880 --> 00:08:44,840 Maybe it's a vision for a church plant. 159 00:08:44,840 --> 00:08:47,080 Maybe it's a vision for a different type of ministry. 160 00:08:47,400 --> 00:08:50,480 There's all kinds of things that God does in our hearts if we're 161 00:08:50,480 --> 00:08:53,000 open. It says your old men shall dream 162 00:08:53,000 --> 00:08:55,160 dreams. Now I'm an older man. 163 00:08:55,160 --> 00:08:58,800 Now I don't consider myself an old man, but I am an older man. 164 00:08:59,320 --> 00:09:03,040 I have a lot of dreams and I don't understand the dreams lots 165 00:09:03,040 --> 00:09:04,720 of times. Sometimes I think it's 166 00:09:04,720 --> 00:09:07,160 indigestion, something I ate the day before. 167 00:09:07,560 --> 00:09:09,600 Some dreams I wish I never had right? 168 00:09:09,680 --> 00:09:13,640 I say I am glad I that wasn't real because if it was I'd be in 169 00:09:13,640 --> 00:09:17,720 big trouble. But dreams many times God uses 170 00:09:17,720 --> 00:09:20,600 to warn, right? I remember when I first became a 171 00:09:20,600 --> 00:09:23,480 Christian, I had this dream about this this person by the 172 00:09:23,480 --> 00:09:26,240 name of Enoch. And I, I didn't know the Bible 173 00:09:26,240 --> 00:09:28,160 too well at the time. And so I wonder, is there 174 00:09:28,160 --> 00:09:31,440 anybody in the Bible by the name of Enoch, you know, or Ezra? 175 00:09:31,800 --> 00:09:33,080 I had a dream about him one time. 176 00:09:33,200 --> 00:09:35,080 I didn't even know these names existed. 177 00:09:35,280 --> 00:09:37,680 I was so excited when I found the names in the Bible. 178 00:09:37,840 --> 00:09:40,640 I thought for sure God was going to reveal his total plan for my 179 00:09:40,640 --> 00:09:42,440 life now. But I read it and I was more 180 00:09:42,440 --> 00:09:44,400 confused than I ever was. And why would you want me to 181 00:09:44,400 --> 00:09:47,720 know this, You know, But it says that these things will come to 182 00:09:47,720 --> 00:09:50,000 pass. He says on my maidservants and 183 00:09:50,000 --> 00:09:52,960 on my maidservants, the men, servants and maidservants, I 184 00:09:52,960 --> 00:09:54,840 will pour out my spirit in those days. 185 00:09:55,040 --> 00:09:57,720 They shall prophecy. I will show wonders in heaven 186 00:09:57,720 --> 00:09:59,440 above and signs in the earth beneath. 187 00:09:59,680 --> 00:10:01,920 We're moving into the time of the tribulation. 188 00:10:01,920 --> 00:10:05,080 As He begins to manifest the blood and fire and vapor and 189 00:10:05,080 --> 00:10:06,800 smoke. The sun shall be turned to 190 00:10:06,800 --> 00:10:09,840 darkness and the moon into blood before the coming of the great 191 00:10:09,840 --> 00:10:12,680 and awesome day of the Lord, and it shall come to pass it. 192 00:10:12,680 --> 00:10:16,720 Whosoever calls in the name of the Lord shall be saved. 193 00:10:17,600 --> 00:10:21,360 A tremendous realization again of the working of God's Holy 194 00:10:21,360 --> 00:10:23,720 Spirit. So my question today in regard 195 00:10:23,720 --> 00:10:28,640 to the 144,000 experiencing this worship on Mount Zion with the 196 00:10:28,640 --> 00:10:32,600 Lamb, the Lord Jesus. How alert are we today to the 197 00:10:32,600 --> 00:10:34,440 witness of the Holy Spirit dwelling in US? 198 00:10:34,440 --> 00:10:39,160 How really alert are we to that? All the media is taking us away 199 00:10:39,160 --> 00:10:42,320 from concentrating on God's voice to my own heart. 200 00:10:44,320 --> 00:10:49,280 Television, Internet, radio, satellite radio, newspapers, 201 00:10:49,280 --> 00:10:54,960 magazines, periodicals, all this chatter is drowning out the 202 00:10:54,960 --> 00:10:56,800 voice of God in all of our hearts. 203 00:10:57,720 --> 00:11:00,360 I mean, I get excited sometimes when I come in contact with 204 00:11:00,360 --> 00:11:03,280 someone that begins to share with me what God's revealing and 205 00:11:03,280 --> 00:11:06,120 showing them through their study of scriptures and, and not only 206 00:11:06,120 --> 00:11:09,280 that, but how he's setting out a course of action and a plan for 207 00:11:09,280 --> 00:11:14,080 their life that is undeniable. And in time, I see the 208 00:11:14,080 --> 00:11:18,120 realization of that come to pass down to the years in, in, in 209 00:11:18,120 --> 00:11:20,880 certain people's lives. But I wonder how alert or how 210 00:11:20,880 --> 00:11:23,920 hungry are we to the witness of the Holy Spirit dwelling in US? 211 00:11:24,360 --> 00:11:26,240 You know, the Holy Spirit dwells in US. 212 00:11:26,440 --> 00:11:30,040 You guys know that Like where, where's the Holy Spirit? 213 00:11:31,320 --> 00:11:33,760 He's in US, but how much do we know him? 214 00:11:35,240 --> 00:11:37,520 I mean, I've been married 39 years now, and there's things 215 00:11:37,520 --> 00:11:40,920 about my wife that I'm still discovering that I don't know. 216 00:11:40,920 --> 00:11:43,880 There's certain aspects of her character that God begins to 217 00:11:43,880 --> 00:11:47,600 show me what a special woman she is and how I can take her so for 218 00:11:47,600 --> 00:11:51,480 granted so easily. And, you know, and here's God, 219 00:11:51,480 --> 00:11:55,840 the Spirit in me that I don't really know to the degree that I 220 00:11:55,840 --> 00:12:00,200 know He wants me to know him. Are we just become too 221 00:12:00,200 --> 00:12:01,840 comfortable in the natural realm. 222 00:12:01,840 --> 00:12:03,840 I like life just to be the way it is. 223 00:12:04,400 --> 00:12:06,080 Don't shake me up, God, about anything. 224 00:12:06,080 --> 00:12:08,240 Don't show me anything. Don't reveal anything to me 225 00:12:08,240 --> 00:12:10,560 because I sort of just like trailing with you, 1,000,000 226 00:12:10,560 --> 00:12:12,920 miles behind you. Safer that way. 227 00:12:13,160 --> 00:12:17,440 I don't get caught up in the responsibilities or callings or 228 00:12:17,640 --> 00:12:21,320 humility, whatever it might be. We're just so used to what's 229 00:12:21,320 --> 00:12:25,240 natural, right? What naturally occurs naturally. 230 00:12:27,320 --> 00:12:29,880 I'm not expecting or anticipating the movement of 231 00:12:29,880 --> 00:12:33,440 God, the manifestation of His glory, His Holiness, his 232 00:12:33,440 --> 00:12:36,440 awesomeness. That's my prayer for this church 233 00:12:36,840 --> 00:12:39,400 and your prayer. I'm sure that when we come and 234 00:12:39,400 --> 00:12:42,360 gather, we want God's glory to be manifest here. 235 00:12:42,840 --> 00:12:46,520 We want His Holiness to be so compelling that it causes us to 236 00:12:46,520 --> 00:12:50,600 be broken and to say, Lord, forgive me my hardness, forgive 237 00:12:50,600 --> 00:12:53,880 me of my anger, forgive me of my unforgiveness, my bitterness, my 238 00:12:53,880 --> 00:12:56,160 backbiting, but I'm like over it. 239 00:12:56,160 --> 00:12:59,240 With Christians having attitudes toward one another, there's no 240 00:12:59,400 --> 00:13:02,520 excuse for it. There's no absolutely no excuse, 241 00:13:02,520 --> 00:13:05,040 is there? It says we're to be kind, tender 242 00:13:05,040 --> 00:13:08,400 hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake 243 00:13:08,400 --> 00:13:12,040 hath forgiven us. And it's far by me how 244 00:13:12,240 --> 00:13:16,080 Christians can just turn each other off or blow each other off 245 00:13:16,080 --> 00:13:19,760 or or say mean things about each other, evil things or or wish 246 00:13:19,760 --> 00:13:23,240 evil things upon one another, instead of loving and being 247 00:13:23,240 --> 00:13:28,840 merciful and being forgiving as God has forgiven us and his 248 00:13:28,840 --> 00:13:31,440 awesomeness. That's my prayer when we worship 249 00:13:31,440 --> 00:13:35,320 God, that we got talented musicians, we got great voices, 250 00:13:35,320 --> 00:13:38,440 we got good instruments, but it's all for naughty if we're 251 00:13:38,440 --> 00:13:40,960 not caught up in how awesome God is. 252 00:13:41,640 --> 00:13:45,280 We need to leave church knowing that we met with a holy, 253 00:13:45,480 --> 00:13:50,120 awesome, merciful God and that we leave with strength and vigor 254 00:13:50,120 --> 00:13:53,000 to face whatever it is we're going to encounter this week. 255 00:13:54,000 --> 00:13:56,040 None of us know what's on the horizon. 256 00:13:57,080 --> 00:13:59,520 If you flip over to 1st Corinthians chapter 2, as we 257 00:13:59,520 --> 00:14:02,640 wind down, there's different groups of people that Paul 258 00:14:02,640 --> 00:14:05,920 addresses when he's preaching and he talks about the the 259 00:14:05,920 --> 00:14:09,040 categories of where people's hearts are, where their minds 260 00:14:09,040 --> 00:14:11,440 are. The First Corinthians chapter 2 261 00:14:11,920 --> 00:14:15,800 verse six, he says we speak wisdom among those who are 262 00:14:15,800 --> 00:14:20,440 mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of 263 00:14:20,440 --> 00:14:21,920 this age who are coming to nothing. 264 00:14:22,280 --> 00:14:25,840 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom 265 00:14:25,840 --> 00:14:29,960 which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none 266 00:14:29,960 --> 00:14:32,640 of the rulers of this age knew, For had they known, they would 267 00:14:32,640 --> 00:14:35,080 have not crucified the Lord of glory. 268 00:14:35,280 --> 00:14:40,320 But as it is written, I hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor have 269 00:14:40,320 --> 00:14:42,520 entered into the heart of man the things which God has 270 00:14:42,520 --> 00:14:47,480 prepared for those who love him. What a statement natural eye has 271 00:14:47,480 --> 00:14:51,760 not seen, nor has natural ear heard, nor has entered into the 272 00:14:51,760 --> 00:14:54,240 heart of man the things which God's prepared for those who 273 00:14:54,240 --> 00:14:55,840 love him. But this is the mind blower. 274 00:14:55,840 --> 00:14:59,960 It says in verse 10, but God has revealed them to us through his 275 00:14:59,960 --> 00:15:04,560 spirit. Now the tragedy is he's given us 276 00:15:04,560 --> 00:15:08,080 this inheritance and he says he's revealed them to us with 277 00:15:08,080 --> 00:15:10,560 many of us as Christians. We're like sitting here, da, I 278 00:15:10,560 --> 00:15:13,240 really don't know what he's talking about because I haven't 279 00:15:13,240 --> 00:15:15,880 really seen some things. I haven't really heard some 280 00:15:15,880 --> 00:15:19,200 things I haven't really seen poured into my heart. 281 00:15:19,360 --> 00:15:22,120 The things that God's prepared for me because I love him. 282 00:15:22,720 --> 00:15:25,480 I maybe feel bankrupt. I feel like I'm just going 283 00:15:25,480 --> 00:15:28,840 through the motions, or I feel like my Christianity is dry or 284 00:15:28,840 --> 00:15:32,000 I'm backslidden, or we use all this terminology because it's 285 00:15:32,000 --> 00:15:35,080 been a long time since we've heard the voice of God speak 286 00:15:35,240 --> 00:15:38,520 clearly to us. But it says God's revealed them 287 00:15:38,520 --> 00:15:41,480 to us through his Spirit. For the Spirit searches all 288 00:15:41,480 --> 00:15:44,800 things, yes, the deep things of God. 289 00:15:45,200 --> 00:15:48,080 For what man knows the things of a man, except the spirit of the 290 00:15:48,080 --> 00:15:51,680 man, which is in him? Even so, no one knows the things 291 00:15:51,680 --> 00:15:54,640 of God except the Spirit of God. So in order for you and me to 292 00:15:54,640 --> 00:15:59,240 really know God, it has to be God's Spirit in us that reveals 293 00:15:59,240 --> 00:16:02,240 God to us. I can study the Bible till I'm 294 00:16:02,240 --> 00:16:04,000 blue in the face. I can memorize it. 295 00:16:04,240 --> 00:16:07,320 I know people that know the Bible inside and out, but 296 00:16:07,320 --> 00:16:10,680 they're bankrupt in in regard to the person of the Holy Spirit. 297 00:16:11,680 --> 00:16:14,360 Some people believe that the Holy Spirit doesn't work like he 298 00:16:14,360 --> 00:16:16,520 used to work. I don't know who comes up with 299 00:16:16,520 --> 00:16:18,960 that. You have to take your black 300 00:16:18,960 --> 00:16:22,480 marker and cross out First Corinthians 12 and 14 and and 301 00:16:22,480 --> 00:16:24,480 just act like it doesn't exist anymore. 302 00:16:25,080 --> 00:16:28,960 There's no evidence for the fact that the Holy Spirit is still 303 00:16:28,960 --> 00:16:31,800 not moving and working within his church. 304 00:16:32,080 --> 00:16:35,960 And thank God that the Spirit is working now. 305 00:16:35,960 --> 00:16:38,560 It says we have received not the Spirit of the world, but the 306 00:16:38,560 --> 00:16:41,920 Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have 307 00:16:42,120 --> 00:16:45,160 been freely given to us by God. You know, our conversations with 308 00:16:45,160 --> 00:16:47,680 each other need to be, hey, let me tell you about this cool new 309 00:16:47,680 --> 00:16:52,080 thing that God revealed to me that He's freely given to me by 310 00:16:52,080 --> 00:16:57,600 His Spirit that I never knew I had before, that God showed me 311 00:16:57,600 --> 00:17:01,440 something and gave something to me that's freely given to me by 312 00:17:01,440 --> 00:17:03,880 God. It says these things we speak 313 00:17:04,280 --> 00:17:06,839 not in the words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the 314 00:17:06,839 --> 00:17:10,280 Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 315 00:17:11,200 --> 00:17:13,160 Now this is the problem in verse 14. 316 00:17:13,760 --> 00:17:16,440 The natural man doesn't receive the things of the Spirit of God. 317 00:17:16,440 --> 00:17:20,800 So today we have people here who are natural, and usually in the 318 00:17:20,800 --> 00:17:23,400 context of what this is written, this is people who are still 319 00:17:23,760 --> 00:17:27,280 outside of Christ. But I believe that even as 320 00:17:27,280 --> 00:17:30,320 Christians we can become so naturally compelled that we 321 00:17:30,320 --> 00:17:32,360 don't receive the things of God's Spirit. 322 00:17:32,840 --> 00:17:35,320 We're quenching the Spirit, we're grieving the Spirit. 323 00:17:35,640 --> 00:17:38,720 They're foolishness to Him, nor can he know them because they're 324 00:17:38,720 --> 00:17:41,840 spiritually discerned. But he is spiritual, judges all 325 00:17:41,840 --> 00:17:44,560 things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 326 00:17:44,920 --> 00:17:47,360 For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he might instruct 327 00:17:47,360 --> 00:17:50,320 him. But we have the mind of Christ. 328 00:17:50,640 --> 00:17:54,400 If you flip over to 2nd Corinthians chapter 4, verse 16 329 00:17:54,400 --> 00:17:58,880 through 18, therefore we did not lose heart. 330 00:17:59,000 --> 00:18:02,320 Now how many in here are going through a time that you're 331 00:18:02,320 --> 00:18:03,840 losing some heart? Raise your hand. 332 00:18:04,720 --> 00:18:09,640 I lose heart sometimes, guys, I really do, and I'm a pastor. 333 00:18:10,720 --> 00:18:13,520 I'm called to do what I do. And at this, because I'm called 334 00:18:13,520 --> 00:18:16,560 to do it does not mean that I don't have the same struggles 335 00:18:16,560 --> 00:18:18,360 that everybody else has or the fears. 336 00:18:18,880 --> 00:18:20,960 Sometimes I get really, really discouraged. 337 00:18:22,920 --> 00:18:26,520 But Paul says, therefore we do not lose heart, even though our 338 00:18:26,520 --> 00:18:30,240 outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is renewed day by 339 00:18:30,240 --> 00:18:31,760 day. You know, the Holy Spirit in US 340 00:18:32,000 --> 00:18:36,680 wants to excite us with God, his joy, his presence being renewed, 341 00:18:36,680 --> 00:18:39,200 getting stronger spiritually, even though physically or 342 00:18:39,200 --> 00:18:42,440 emotionally or psychologically we're becoming beaten up because 343 00:18:42,440 --> 00:18:44,240 of life. It says for our light 344 00:18:44,240 --> 00:18:49,160 affliction, which is, but for a movement is working for us a far 345 00:18:49,160 --> 00:18:51,600 more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. 346 00:18:52,320 --> 00:18:54,720 So whatever you're going through right now, the Bible says it's a 347 00:18:54,760 --> 00:18:57,400 light affliction. You might say, well, Paul 348 00:18:57,400 --> 00:19:00,360 doesn't know about mine. Mine's a heavy in spite of what 349 00:19:00,360 --> 00:19:02,680 we think. It's temporal and it's going to 350 00:19:02,680 --> 00:19:05,000 pass through. You know, I remember when I had 351 00:19:05,000 --> 00:19:07,080 babies in my house and I'd be stressed. 352 00:19:07,080 --> 00:19:09,240 I'd be thinking like, how in the world am I going to raise these 353 00:19:09,240 --> 00:19:10,520 kids? I'm a kid myself. 354 00:19:10,720 --> 00:19:13,320 How am I going to pay for them? How am I going to do this? 355 00:19:13,320 --> 00:19:14,920 How am I worried about all this stuff? 356 00:19:14,920 --> 00:19:17,960 Right now my daughters are growing up in the two wonderful 357 00:19:17,960 --> 00:19:20,280 women of God. They love their children. 358 00:19:20,280 --> 00:19:23,520 They love their husbands. I had nothing really to do with 359 00:19:23,520 --> 00:19:24,960 that. God took care of it. 360 00:19:25,560 --> 00:19:29,200 He worked in spite of me. But He's gracious and He's 361 00:19:29,200 --> 00:19:33,720 merciful and he, He accomplishes His will from eternity past. 362 00:19:34,400 --> 00:19:37,160 But all the things that I worried about were stupid, 363 00:19:37,160 --> 00:19:39,560 because none of the things I really worried about came to 364 00:19:39,560 --> 00:19:43,440 pass. And today I got a different set 365 00:19:43,440 --> 00:19:46,360 of worries. I'm worried about will Social 366 00:19:46,360 --> 00:19:49,920 Security still be around? I worry about will I have 367 00:19:50,160 --> 00:19:53,760 health? I worry about will my job still 368 00:19:53,760 --> 00:19:56,000 be there next week? I mean, you know, typical stuff. 369 00:19:56,360 --> 00:20:00,440 And chances are those years will come and go and I'll sit back 370 00:20:00,440 --> 00:20:03,000 and God will speak to me with his gentle voice and say, you 371 00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:05,000 know, those things you were worried about five years ago, 372 00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:06,920 Clark, it's a waste of energy, wasn't it? 373 00:20:08,040 --> 00:20:11,840 Because you weren't expecting or trusting me to work at the time 374 00:20:11,840 --> 00:20:13,040 you were trying to figure it out. 375 00:20:13,640 --> 00:20:16,000 It says while we do not look at the things which you're seeing 376 00:20:16,000 --> 00:20:18,000 and the things which you're seeing, guys are natural, 377 00:20:18,120 --> 00:20:20,120 they're temporary, they're passing, right? 378 00:20:20,120 --> 00:20:23,040 It says we're not the ones that are looking at what's seen, but 379 00:20:23,040 --> 00:20:24,520 at the things which are not seen. 380 00:20:24,920 --> 00:20:29,000 For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things 381 00:20:29,000 --> 00:20:34,360 which are not seen are eternal. We need God to give us a vision 382 00:20:34,680 --> 00:20:37,840 in our ministries, in our church and our families of what's 383 00:20:37,840 --> 00:20:44,080 eternal, never taking your experiences, your encounters 384 00:20:44,080 --> 00:20:45,840 outside the boundaries of God's word. 385 00:20:45,840 --> 00:20:48,640 If you do, you'll fall into delusion and heresy. 386 00:20:49,400 --> 00:20:52,680 The God in the Book of Revelation is unveiling things 387 00:20:52,680 --> 00:20:56,120 that are too great for us to at times even fathom. 388 00:20:56,960 --> 00:21:00,240 But as God unveils, and that's what the word revelation means, 389 00:21:00,240 --> 00:21:03,720 the unveiling, the uncovering is to give you me discernment. 390 00:21:04,000 --> 00:21:07,440 And I and I can't help today but to tell you that as I was 391 00:21:07,440 --> 00:21:12,720 thinking about those 144,000 witnesses singing on the earth 392 00:21:12,760 --> 00:21:15,760 on top of Mount Sinai, but somehow being ushered into the 393 00:21:15,760 --> 00:21:19,720 presence in the throne room of God, that whet my appetite for 394 00:21:19,760 --> 00:21:22,040 deeper encounters with God myself. 395 00:21:23,480 --> 00:21:24,960 And I don't know where that leaves you. 396 00:21:25,720 --> 00:21:30,760 It might just like who cares, but I trust that you will press 397 00:21:30,760 --> 00:21:35,080 in to want to experience and encounter the Lord in deeper 398 00:21:35,080 --> 00:21:37,800 ways. Jeremiah 33 Three the promised 399 00:21:37,800 --> 00:21:41,680 call to me, and I will answer you and show you great and 400 00:21:41,680 --> 00:21:43,280 mighty things which you do not know. 401 00:21:43,440 --> 00:21:46,120 You want the Lord to show you great and mighty things which 402 00:21:46,120 --> 00:21:48,160 you don't know. Anybody up for that? 403 00:21:49,240 --> 00:21:51,160 Do you want Him to show you maybe what it is you've been 404 00:21:51,160 --> 00:21:53,800 praying about for a long time, it hasn't come to pass yet. 405 00:21:54,000 --> 00:21:56,840 Because maybe you're praying, not believing, not trusting, not 406 00:21:56,840 --> 00:22:01,560 hoping. But allow God to give you a word 407 00:22:01,760 --> 00:22:06,680 Himself for your own life, that what seems impossible today will 408 00:22:06,680 --> 00:22:09,480 be transformed by the working of His Holy Spirit. 409 00:22:09,480 --> 00:22:15,120 The job you're hoping for, or the person you want to meet, or 410 00:22:15,120 --> 00:22:17,320 the situation with a family member that you think's 411 00:22:17,320 --> 00:22:21,160 impossible or a Co worker, call upon him. 412 00:22:21,160 --> 00:22:24,200 He'll answer you and show you great and mighty things which 413 00:22:24,200 --> 00:22:28,800 you do not know. In our praise and worship the 414 00:22:28,800 --> 00:22:33,040 Holy Spirit can transport us before the very throne of God, 415 00:22:33,680 --> 00:22:36,240 if my sin can get me into the presence of God, Having 416 00:22:36,240 --> 00:22:39,400 therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holy place, by 417 00:22:39,400 --> 00:22:43,680 the blood of Jesus, God accepts me with me, carrying my weight 418 00:22:43,680 --> 00:22:47,080 of sin before Him, to find mercy and grace and forgiveness. 419 00:22:47,080 --> 00:22:50,440 How much more praising him. Psalm 22. 420 00:22:50,440 --> 00:22:54,640 Three says, But you are holy, O you who are seated among the 421 00:22:54,640 --> 00:22:59,480 praises of Israel His people. Another version, King James 422 00:22:59,480 --> 00:23:03,360 Version says, but thou art holy, O thou that inhabiteth the 423 00:23:03,360 --> 00:23:07,320 praises of Israel, the nation, the people, the remnant, the 424 00:23:07,320 --> 00:23:12,560 elect God inhabits that in some way that is beyond our ability 425 00:23:12,560 --> 00:23:15,920 to comprehend. Charles Spurgeon says as I close 426 00:23:16,200 --> 00:23:19,640 to be wrapped or be rapture in the praise to God is the highest 427 00:23:19,640 --> 00:23:23,800 state of the soul To receive the mercy for which we praise God 428 00:23:23,800 --> 00:23:29,160 for is something, but to be holy clothed with praise to God for 429 00:23:29,160 --> 00:23:35,760 mercy received is far more Why praise is heaven and heaven is 430 00:23:35,760 --> 00:23:38,240 praise. To pray is heaven. 431 00:23:38,360 --> 00:23:42,560 To pray is heaven below, but praise is the essence of heaven 432 00:23:42,560 --> 00:23:45,560 above. When you bow in adoration, you 433 00:23:45,560 --> 00:23:51,080 are at the very highest. We are digging into the Book of 434 00:23:51,080 --> 00:23:53,520 Revelation here on Living Waters of Grace. 435 00:23:54,080 --> 00:23:57,440 Pastor Clark is tackling this challenging book as we try to 436 00:23:57,440 --> 00:24:00,800 discern the messages that are within its pages. 437 00:24:01,160 --> 00:24:05,360 There's so much imagery, and at times you're not always sure 438 00:24:05,360 --> 00:24:07,520 what's literal and what's metaphorical. 439 00:24:07,960 --> 00:24:11,160 At one point, there's a reference to an adulterous woman 440 00:24:11,240 --> 00:24:14,360 riding on a beast. And as someone else mentioned, 441 00:24:14,360 --> 00:24:17,840 at one point, it almost sounds like a rodeo from hell. 442 00:24:18,320 --> 00:24:23,120 And in actuality, it kind of is. You learn about the downfall and 443 00:24:23,120 --> 00:24:27,120 demise of a sinful and rebellious world, falling down 444 00:24:27,120 --> 00:24:32,640 in worship to someone who is the anti hero, the enemy, Satan 445 00:24:33,080 --> 00:24:37,960 working his insidious ways into the minds of fallen people. 446 00:24:38,440 --> 00:24:43,600 It's sad and it's heartbreaking, but it's a classic story of good 447 00:24:43,600 --> 00:24:46,920 versus evil. Thankfully, we know how this 448 00:24:46,920 --> 00:24:52,640 story ends. Jesus wins, Jesus reigns, and 449 00:24:52,640 --> 00:24:55,680 evil is conquered once and for all. 450 00:24:56,160 --> 00:25:00,480 We pray and trust you've received Jesus as your Savior. 451 00:25:01,000 --> 00:25:04,440 But if you haven't, don't wait until the events and revelation 452 00:25:04,640 --> 00:25:06,920 become what's happening on the streets. 453 00:25:07,400 --> 00:25:10,480 None of us wants you to be there at that time. 454 00:25:11,080 --> 00:25:15,440 Instead, we'd love for you to be with us in heaven as we 455 00:25:15,440 --> 00:25:20,960 celebrate the marriage supper with Jesus as his bridegroom. 456 00:25:21,640 --> 00:25:24,440 To get a better understanding of where we are in the Book of 457 00:25:24,440 --> 00:25:28,840 Revelation, to listen to any messages before or after this 458 00:25:28,840 --> 00:25:31,840 one, you can find them at our website, 459 00:25:31,920 --> 00:25:37,000 calvarychapelonline.com. That's it for today's edition, 460 00:25:37,000 --> 00:25:40,840 but we hope you'll want to hear Pastor Clark teach more from the 461 00:25:40,840 --> 00:25:44,440 Book of Revelation. It can be exciting to think 462 00:25:44,440 --> 00:25:48,160 about the future for believers that it can feel a bit harrowing 463 00:25:48,160 --> 00:25:51,720 for those who don't believe. Come hear more next time on 464 00:25:51,720 --> 00:25:53,480 Living Waters of Grace.