1 00:00:00,520 --> 00:00:03,520 Take your Bible if you would please, and turn to John chapter 2 00:00:03,520 --> 00:00:07,720 1. John chapter one, verse 6. 3 00:00:08,640 --> 00:00:11,000 The Bible says these very familiar words. 4 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:16,120 There came a man sent from God whose name was John. 5 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:20,040 Now we spent two weeks looking at this man. 6 00:00:20,440 --> 00:00:25,600 What kind of man was he? It's always important that when 7 00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:31,680 you read the Bible, you major on observation because observation 8 00:00:31,680 --> 00:00:35,800 helps you with interpretation. The more you ask the question 9 00:00:35,800 --> 00:00:40,840 who, what, why, how, where, and when, the easier it is for you 10 00:00:40,840 --> 00:00:45,240 to interpret the context and the text itself. 11 00:00:46,360 --> 00:00:50,880 So observation of a text is very important, but I come to realize 12 00:00:50,880 --> 00:00:54,320 that that many people just don't observe much of anything at all, 13 00:00:54,320 --> 00:01:00,720 let alone the text of Scripture. So we looked at the very first 14 00:01:00,720 --> 00:01:07,520 phrase which says there came a man and answered the question, 15 00:01:07,520 --> 00:01:11,600 what kind of man? And we told you that number 1, 16 00:01:11,600 --> 00:01:16,160 he was uncompromising in his message. 17 00:01:16,640 --> 00:01:19,560 That's the kind of man John the Baptist was. 18 00:01:20,760 --> 00:01:23,840 He was unorthodox in his mannerisms. 19 00:01:25,440 --> 00:01:31,120 He was unequaled or unrivaled among men. 20 00:01:32,360 --> 00:01:37,400 He was unlimited in his mission, uninhibited in his ministry, 21 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:47,880 unpopular before the multitudes, unforgettable as a man, and yet 22 00:01:49,280 --> 00:01:56,040 unimaginable for one brief moment. 23 00:01:57,360 --> 00:02:02,000 And we had to take you to Luke 7 to show you that, because you 24 00:02:02,360 --> 00:02:06,440 come to ask the question, how is it this this great man, the 25 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:10,479 greatest man who ever was born of a woman, according to the 26 00:02:10,479 --> 00:02:19,440 words of Jesus, would have doubts and disillusionment about 27 00:02:19,440 --> 00:02:24,520 who the Messiah really is. After all, he was the the one 28 00:02:24,520 --> 00:02:26,080 who would pave the way for the Messiah. 29 00:02:27,680 --> 00:02:36,600 And yet, as he sat in that prison, Macarius and he began to 30 00:02:36,600 --> 00:02:43,920 reminisce about his ministry. He asked himself, is Jesus the 31 00:02:43,920 --> 00:02:47,760 expected? 1 And so he said his disciples 32 00:02:47,760 --> 00:02:53,160 to to ask that question. And so we come back and we ask, 33 00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:55,640 OK, so how does a man, the greatest man aboard of a woman 34 00:02:56,000 --> 00:03:00,840 get to that point? How how do we get to a point in 35 00:03:00,840 --> 00:03:08,360 our lives where we begin to question God, his ministry in 36 00:03:08,360 --> 00:03:10,480 our lives, his authority over our lives? 37 00:03:11,960 --> 00:03:20,040 What brings us to that point, especially when you realize the 38 00:03:20,040 --> 00:03:23,120 second aspect of John one verse number six. 39 00:03:25,080 --> 00:03:34,600 There came a man sent from God. How does a man who was sent from 40 00:03:34,600 --> 00:03:39,760 God doubt God? How does a man who was sent from 41 00:03:39,760 --> 00:03:46,200 God be disillusioned about God? How does a man sent from God 42 00:03:46,200 --> 00:03:52,280 become discouraged and depressed about his God? 43 00:03:53,560 --> 00:03:57,720 That's a good question. So we're going to answer that 44 00:03:57,720 --> 00:04:05,000 question for you. There came a man sent from God. 45 00:04:06,720 --> 00:04:11,040 The question is how was John the Baptist sent from God? 46 00:04:12,600 --> 00:04:17,160 So we're going to spend this week and next week answering the 47 00:04:17,160 --> 00:04:21,959 question, how was John sent from God? 48 00:04:23,760 --> 00:04:30,640 Because once you understand how he was sent, it will even make 49 00:04:30,640 --> 00:04:33,920 you question all the more how he he could come to this moment in 50 00:04:33,920 --> 00:04:38,760 his life where he would begin to doubt and become disillusioned 51 00:04:38,760 --> 00:04:43,280 about his God. This is very, very important. 52 00:04:45,120 --> 00:04:51,680 How, how was John sent from God? Later on in months, maybe years 53 00:04:51,680 --> 00:04:57,880 down the road in John 20 verse #21 Jesus will say these words 54 00:04:58,640 --> 00:05:04,520 as the Father has sent me, so send I, you. 55 00:05:04,560 --> 00:05:09,160 And when we get to John 20 verse #21 we're going to ask the 56 00:05:09,160 --> 00:05:15,200 question, how was the Son sent? Because once you see how the Son 57 00:05:15,200 --> 00:05:21,720 was sent, then you can see how the apostles then were to be 58 00:05:21,720 --> 00:05:28,920 sent, which will tell us how it is God sends us. 59 00:05:30,200 --> 00:05:34,960 But that's many, many, many sermons down the road today. 60 00:05:34,960 --> 00:05:39,080 We just want to ask and answer the question, how is it John the 61 00:05:39,080 --> 00:05:44,000 Baptist was sent from God? And I think that once you begin 62 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:50,640 to understand this, it would help you understand life from a 63 00:05:50,640 --> 00:05:55,120 biblical perspective. For when you lose a biblical 64 00:05:55,120 --> 00:05:59,800 perspective, the circumstances around you are bigger than life. 65 00:06:01,280 --> 00:06:05,920 And they need not be need to always keep a biblical 66 00:06:05,920 --> 00:06:10,600 perspective when going through life for that one brief, 67 00:06:10,640 --> 00:06:15,920 unimaginable moment, the forerunner to the Messiah lost a 68 00:06:15,920 --> 00:06:20,120 biblical perspective and it caused him to doubt and become 69 00:06:20,120 --> 00:06:26,520 disillusioned. So let's ask the question, how 70 00:06:26,520 --> 00:06:32,280 is it John was sent from God? Turn back with me, if you would, 71 00:06:32,280 --> 00:06:35,560 to Luke's gospel, Luke chapter 3. 72 00:06:37,480 --> 00:06:41,280 It says these words in verse one. 73 00:06:41,280 --> 00:06:44,280 Now in the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when 74 00:06:44,280 --> 00:06:48,000 Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea and Herod was tetrarch of 75 00:06:48,000 --> 00:06:55,800 Galilee, so Herod was in charge. It says that the word of God 76 00:06:56,200 --> 00:07:00,720 came to John the son of Zacharias. 77 00:07:02,880 --> 00:07:10,200 The word of God came to John. How was John sent by God? 78 00:07:10,480 --> 00:07:14,920 Number one, he was sent personally. 79 00:07:16,880 --> 00:07:22,040 God spoke to John. Luke chooses his words very 80 00:07:22,040 --> 00:07:29,480 carefully that the word of God came to John. 81 00:07:31,000 --> 00:07:36,840 Same phraseology used of Abraham in Genesis 15 verse #1 And the 82 00:07:36,840 --> 00:07:44,160 word of the Lord came to Abram. Same thing about Samuel in first 83 00:07:44,160 --> 00:07:48,640 Samuel chapter 15 And the word of the Lord came to Samuel. 84 00:07:48,880 --> 00:07:52,120 Same thing about Nathan and second Samuel and the word of 85 00:07:52,120 --> 00:07:55,080 the Lord came to Nathan. Same thing in First King 17 86 00:07:55,200 --> 00:07:57,840 first number one. And the word of the Lord came to 87 00:07:57,960 --> 00:08:02,960 Elijah. That there was a personal call 88 00:08:04,640 --> 00:08:11,160 upon their lives, and that call would move them to ministry. 89 00:08:13,040 --> 00:08:17,800 And John the Baptist would be subject to that call, the divine 90 00:08:17,800 --> 00:08:26,080 call of God upon his life. The word of God came to John. 91 00:08:27,800 --> 00:08:32,799 God would speak to John and He moved John to ministry. 92 00:08:34,440 --> 00:08:38,240 Now, just for by way of illustration, turn back with me, 93 00:08:38,240 --> 00:08:41,280 if you would, to the book of Jeremiah, because the same 94 00:08:41,280 --> 00:08:48,080 phrase is used about Jeremiah and it gives us a little bit of 95 00:08:48,080 --> 00:08:50,360 the details about what God said to Jeremiah. 96 00:08:51,200 --> 00:08:54,720 Now we don't know what God said to to John the Baptist. 97 00:08:55,840 --> 00:09:01,080 We don't know that Baba didn't tell us, but we do know what God 98 00:09:01,080 --> 00:09:04,360 said to Jeremiah. But I want you to remember 99 00:09:05,000 --> 00:09:11,480 Jeremiah is a lot like John the Baptist, except for a couple 100 00:09:11,480 --> 00:09:15,440 instances. John the Baptist had a 18 month 101 00:09:15,440 --> 00:09:20,240 ministry. Jeremiah had a 40 year ministry 102 00:09:20,240 --> 00:09:25,280 a lot longer. John the Baptist was thrown into 103 00:09:25,280 --> 00:09:28,800 prison, Jeremiah was thrown into a pit. 104 00:09:28,800 --> 00:09:33,440 So they had that similarity. John the Baptist wasn't married. 105 00:09:33,440 --> 00:09:42,560 Jeremiah wasn't married. Jeremiah had. 106 00:09:42,560 --> 00:09:48,000 Nobody listened to him. At least John the Baptist had 107 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:51,680 people coming down from Jerusalem and were baptized in 108 00:09:51,680 --> 00:09:55,320 the Jordan and had some semblance of listening to what 109 00:09:55,320 --> 00:10:00,160 John had to say. But nobody listened to Jeremiah. 110 00:10:02,040 --> 00:10:04,120 So keep that in mind when you read this. 111 00:10:04,280 --> 00:10:08,000 Jeremiah one verse #4 Now the word of the Lord came to me. 112 00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:10,720 This is Jeremiah speaking. This is what God said to me 113 00:10:11,280 --> 00:10:13,160 before I formed you in the womb. I knew you. 114 00:10:13,560 --> 00:10:15,720 Before you were born. I consecrated you. 115 00:10:16,160 --> 00:10:20,120 I've appointed you a prophet to the nations. 116 00:10:20,960 --> 00:10:24,880 Now maybe, maybe John the Baptist heard something similar. 117 00:10:26,160 --> 00:10:30,640 We do not know, it says. Then I said, Alas, Lord God, 118 00:10:30,640 --> 00:10:33,800 behold, I do not know how to speak because I am a youth. 119 00:10:34,520 --> 00:10:38,120 But the Lord said to me, do not say I'm a youth, because 120 00:10:38,120 --> 00:10:41,240 everywhere I send you, you should go, and all that I 121 00:10:41,240 --> 00:10:50,440 command you, you shall speak. I'm sure the Lord told John the 122 00:10:50,440 --> 00:10:58,280 Baptist what to say, what to preach on verse #8 do not be 123 00:10:58,280 --> 00:11:02,880 afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the 124 00:11:02,880 --> 00:11:05,080 Lord. Then the Lord stretched out his 125 00:11:05,080 --> 00:11:07,840 hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me, Behold, I 126 00:11:07,840 --> 00:11:10,800 have put my words in your mouth. See, I have appointed you this 127 00:11:10,800 --> 00:11:13,760 day over the nations and over the kingdoms, to pluck up and to 128 00:11:13,760 --> 00:11:17,160 breakdown, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to 129 00:11:17,160 --> 00:11:23,120 plant. Jeremiah is rehearsing, 130 00:11:23,160 --> 00:11:29,520 reviewing all that God said to him about his ministry. 131 00:11:31,760 --> 00:11:34,960 And he would go in the power of the Lord. 132 00:11:36,680 --> 00:11:41,440 But it wasn't long before Jeremiah became disillusioned 133 00:11:43,440 --> 00:11:47,080 and discouraged, a lot like John the Baptist. 134 00:11:49,120 --> 00:11:51,760 And yet Jeremiah's response is different than John the 135 00:11:51,760 --> 00:11:55,880 Baptist's Turn to Jeremiah, Chapter 20. 136 00:12:00,320 --> 00:12:11,940 Listen to the words of Jeremiah. Oh, Lord, you have deceived me, 137 00:12:12,780 --> 00:12:19,540 and I was deceived. You have overcome me and 138 00:12:19,540 --> 00:12:24,260 prevailed. Jeremiah feels helpless. 139 00:12:26,920 --> 00:12:32,520 He feels taken advantage of because God called him to preach 140 00:12:32,520 --> 00:12:37,440 to the nations and no one's listening, no one's following. 141 00:12:37,440 --> 00:12:40,840 Remember, Jeremiah is right before they go into Babylonian 142 00:12:40,840 --> 00:12:45,200 captivity, they're on the cusp of of going in that direction. 143 00:12:46,600 --> 00:12:52,240 So he preaches with passion and and energy and intensity, trying 144 00:12:52,240 --> 00:12:54,600 to get people to understand that they need to follow God and obey 145 00:12:54,600 --> 00:12:59,640 God. But he feels that he was 146 00:13:00,760 --> 00:13:06,040 deceived by God. He says I have become a laughing 147 00:13:06,040 --> 00:13:09,160 stalk all day long. Everyone mocks me. 148 00:13:10,480 --> 00:13:15,880 Everybody's making fun of me. Everybody's laughing at me. 149 00:13:18,040 --> 00:13:20,560 For each time I I speak, I cry aloud. 150 00:13:20,680 --> 00:13:24,760 I proclaim violence and destruction because because for 151 00:13:24,760 --> 00:13:29,480 me the word of the Lord has resulted in reproach and 152 00:13:29,480 --> 00:13:34,080 derision. All day long. 153 00:13:35,680 --> 00:13:43,280 Jeremiah is is distraught. Here I am preaching here I am 154 00:13:43,280 --> 00:13:48,360 called by God here I am giving my all and people mock me and 155 00:13:48,360 --> 00:13:50,560 they make fun of me and they laugh at me. 156 00:13:51,720 --> 00:13:58,240 I've become a derision all day long but if I say I will not 157 00:13:58,240 --> 00:14:03,240 remember him or speak anymore in his name, then in my heart it 158 00:14:03,240 --> 00:14:07,880 becomes like a burning fire shut up in my bones and I am weary of 159 00:14:07,880 --> 00:14:10,120 holding it in and I cannot endure it. 160 00:14:12,760 --> 00:14:15,040 He says I'm cop between a rock and a hard place. 161 00:14:15,040 --> 00:14:18,240 Every time I open my mouth people make fun of me, they mock 162 00:14:18,240 --> 00:14:21,720 me, they they say all kind of slanderous things against me. 163 00:14:21,920 --> 00:14:26,480 But if I don't say anything and I hold it in, it's like a 164 00:14:26,480 --> 00:14:31,520 burning fire in my soul and I and I got to let it out. 165 00:14:32,600 --> 00:14:39,800 I just can't be quiet, and yet when I do, I face all kinds of 166 00:14:39,800 --> 00:14:44,000 obstacles, all kinds of criticism, all kinds of 167 00:14:44,000 --> 00:14:52,000 slanderous comments. So listen, for I have heard the 168 00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:56,640 whispering of many terror on every side. 169 00:14:56,720 --> 00:15:00,240 They were mocking him because he would come and preach terror on 170 00:15:00,240 --> 00:15:02,120 every side. Because of the judgement of God, 171 00:15:03,160 --> 00:15:06,040 he became the prophet of, of, of terror. 172 00:15:06,800 --> 00:15:09,400 So now they mock him and say he is the prophet. 173 00:15:09,720 --> 00:15:12,320 He is the one who has terror on every side. 174 00:15:13,520 --> 00:15:15,720 Denounce him. Yes, let us denounce him. 175 00:15:15,920 --> 00:15:21,760 All my trusted friends watching for my fall, say perhaps he will 176 00:15:21,760 --> 00:15:26,800 be deceived so that we may prevail against him and take our 177 00:15:26,800 --> 00:15:31,240 revenge on him. All my trusted friends, 178 00:15:32,080 --> 00:15:37,320 everybody that I've has a confidence, every one of them 179 00:15:38,760 --> 00:15:44,080 are looking for my fault. Now, I'm not sure any of us have 180 00:15:44,080 --> 00:15:49,600 been in that situation. John the Baptist was not in that 181 00:15:49,600 --> 00:15:53,520 situation. He was unpopular because they 182 00:15:53,520 --> 00:15:58,720 said he had a demon. But John had followers, he had 183 00:15:58,720 --> 00:16:02,960 disciples. Jeremiah had none. 184 00:16:05,160 --> 00:16:11,520 He had nobody, so he's expressing himself. 185 00:16:13,240 --> 00:16:14,600 Now. Listen to what he says next. 186 00:16:16,680 --> 00:16:20,680 But the Lord is with me like a dread champion. 187 00:16:22,160 --> 00:16:24,200 The Lord is with me like a mighty warrior. 188 00:16:25,600 --> 00:16:29,960 The Lord is with me like a fierce warrior. 189 00:16:32,120 --> 00:16:35,480 The Lord is with me as one greatly to be feared. 190 00:16:36,560 --> 00:16:40,040 Therefore my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. 191 00:16:40,240 --> 00:16:43,360 They will be utterly ashamed because they have failed with 192 00:16:43,840 --> 00:16:48,960 with an everlasting disgrace. Excuse me, that will not be 193 00:16:48,960 --> 00:16:53,080 forgotten. Yet, O Lord of armies, Lord of 194 00:16:53,080 --> 00:16:58,120 hosts, you who test the righteous, who see the mind and 195 00:16:58,120 --> 00:17:01,760 the heart, let me see your vengeance on them. 196 00:17:02,560 --> 00:17:04,839 For to you I have set forth my cause. 197 00:17:05,720 --> 00:17:12,119 Sing to the Lord, praise the Lord, for he has delivered the 198 00:17:12,119 --> 00:17:17,720 soul of the needy one from the hand of the evil doers. 199 00:17:20,440 --> 00:17:22,440 A different perspective than John the Baptist. 200 00:17:25,200 --> 00:17:29,320 And John the Baptist situation was not near as dire as 201 00:17:29,960 --> 00:17:35,640 Jeremiah's was. And although John the Baptist 202 00:17:35,640 --> 00:17:41,680 would soon be beheaded, Jeremiah was in complete and total 203 00:17:41,680 --> 00:17:48,800 isolation. No friends, no family, no close 204 00:17:48,800 --> 00:17:56,200 associates, no place of refuge, no church to go to for people to 205 00:17:56,200 --> 00:18:01,360 pray with him and for him, no pastor as a confidant to go and 206 00:18:01,800 --> 00:18:09,880 receive counsel from. All he had was all you need. 207 00:18:11,760 --> 00:18:18,800 A dread champion, the Lord of armies, A fierce warrior. 208 00:18:20,920 --> 00:18:25,360 My friends, that's all you need. That's all you need. 209 00:18:27,280 --> 00:18:32,520 And Jeremiah would be able to continue his ministry even 210 00:18:32,520 --> 00:18:39,760 though nobody ever responded. Didn't quit. 211 00:18:41,800 --> 00:18:46,040 I'm sure there were times he wanted to quit, but he never 212 00:18:46,040 --> 00:18:49,240 threw in the towel. Why? 213 00:18:50,760 --> 00:18:55,840 Because he was personally called by God. 214 00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:12,680 Personally called by God You as a Christian have been personally 215 00:19:12,680 --> 00:19:20,800 called by God. In Philippians 3, Paul calls 216 00:19:20,800 --> 00:19:29,880 that calling a high calling. And secondity one verse #9 Paul 217 00:19:29,880 --> 00:19:35,360 calls that calling a a holy calling. 218 00:19:37,520 --> 00:19:43,480 In Hebrews 3 verse #1 the writer of Hebrews calls it a heavenly 219 00:19:44,680 --> 00:19:49,880 calling. You've been called by a high, 220 00:19:51,200 --> 00:20:01,080 holy heavenly calling into the Kingdom of God's dear Son. 221 00:20:04,120 --> 00:20:09,640 God offers a general call to all men, a universal call to all 222 00:20:09,640 --> 00:20:13,200 men. In Matthew 11 he says, Come unto 223 00:20:13,200 --> 00:20:16,520 me, all you that labor and a heavy laden, I will give you 224 00:20:16,520 --> 00:20:20,560 rest, but you got to come to me. It's a universal call. 225 00:20:22,520 --> 00:20:24,840 And the Bible says that whosoever shall call upon the 226 00:20:24,840 --> 00:20:31,080 name of the Lord shall be saved. But the Bible also says in 227 00:20:31,080 --> 00:20:36,160 Romans chapter 8 verse #30 that those whom God did predestined 228 00:20:37,440 --> 00:20:45,200 he called to himself. The Bible says in Romans 828 229 00:20:46,280 --> 00:20:49,400 that all things work together for those who have been called 230 00:20:49,400 --> 00:20:56,200 according to His purpose. The Bible also says in the book 231 00:20:56,200 --> 00:21:01,680 of First Corinthians chapter one, that we are to consider Our 232 00:21:01,680 --> 00:21:06,120 Calling. How did the Lord call you? 233 00:21:08,280 --> 00:21:15,600 Listen very carefully. He calls you the same way He 234 00:21:15,600 --> 00:21:22,640 called John the Baptist, the same way He called Jeremiah. 235 00:21:24,560 --> 00:21:29,280 Listen to 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2 verse #13 and 14. 236 00:21:31,600 --> 00:21:34,960 Paul says, But we should always give thanks to God for you 237 00:21:34,960 --> 00:21:41,080 brethren, beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from 238 00:21:41,080 --> 00:21:48,120 the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the 239 00:21:48,120 --> 00:21:56,600 Spirit and faith in the truth. It was for this he called you 240 00:21:56,720 --> 00:22:03,080 through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus 241 00:22:03,080 --> 00:22:08,240 Christ. John Paul says you were called 242 00:22:09,400 --> 00:22:11,760 through the glory of the gospel of truth. 243 00:22:14,200 --> 00:22:17,880 In other words, you heard what God said in his word. 244 00:22:18,360 --> 00:22:21,560 Faith cometh by hearing and hearing about a word concerning 245 00:22:21,560 --> 00:22:26,680 the Christ. Romans 10/17 So somebody 246 00:22:26,680 --> 00:22:34,400 presented the truth to you, somebody spoke the truth to you. 247 00:22:34,400 --> 00:22:40,240 And this book, this Bible, this truth, this law, this revelation 248 00:22:41,560 --> 00:22:47,400 is God's word to man. And while God does not speak 249 00:22:47,400 --> 00:22:53,320 verbally to man anymore, he makes very clear all that we 250 00:22:53,320 --> 00:22:57,000 need to know in his Word. He was one, one to three tells 251 00:22:57,000 --> 00:23:00,240 us that God has spoken in these last days only through His Son, 252 00:23:00,520 --> 00:23:05,560 Jesus Christ our Lord. And these are the very words of 253 00:23:05,560 --> 00:23:08,080 the living God. This is how God converses with 254 00:23:08,080 --> 00:23:13,480 you through His Word. And so while there is this 255 00:23:13,480 --> 00:23:17,520 general call that goes out to all men, there is a efficacious 256 00:23:17,520 --> 00:23:22,400 call, a, a, a divine call that calls those who have been 257 00:23:22,400 --> 00:23:25,440 predestined into the Kingdom of the living God. 258 00:23:28,040 --> 00:23:31,320 And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah. 259 00:23:33,960 --> 00:23:37,000 Jeremiah had to wait for God to speak like Abraham had to wait 260 00:23:37,000 --> 00:23:39,920 for God to speak like Elijah had to wait for God to speak. 261 00:23:41,680 --> 00:23:47,000 We don't. God has spoken, so we pick up 262 00:23:47,000 --> 00:23:50,480 His word. We read what He says, and God is 263 00:23:50,480 --> 00:23:54,720 speaking to us through His Word, and we converse with Him through 264 00:23:54,720 --> 00:24:00,680 prayer. But His Word is called the 265 00:24:00,680 --> 00:24:10,320 living and abiding word of God, and God speaks to us through His 266 00:24:10,320 --> 00:24:22,360 Word. In April of 19, 71, I had made a 267 00:24:22,360 --> 00:24:27,600 profession of faith. My parents had presented the 268 00:24:27,600 --> 00:24:33,760 gospel to me and I made a profession of faith in April of 269 00:24:33,760 --> 00:24:40,120 1971. And I asked them, I said, do do 270 00:24:40,120 --> 00:24:43,080 you want me to to say this prayer? 271 00:24:43,080 --> 00:24:46,440 Do do you want me to to become a Christian? 272 00:24:46,440 --> 00:24:54,960 And they said yes. So I pray this prayer, thinking 273 00:24:54,960 --> 00:25:02,600 that that made me a Christian. And so from April of 1971 to 274 00:25:02,600 --> 00:25:12,680 March of 1972, I was a very uncomfortable person, one 275 00:25:12,680 --> 00:25:19,040 because I was 13 years old. I don't know any 13 year olds 276 00:25:19,040 --> 00:25:25,560 that are very comfortable today. But mainly because I knew in my 277 00:25:25,560 --> 00:25:30,040 heart I did not give my life to Christ. 278 00:25:33,080 --> 00:25:38,000 I prayed a prayer for my parents sake, not for God's sake. 279 00:25:40,520 --> 00:25:46,960 And God in his sovereignty was so good, he said, a preacher to 280 00:25:46,960 --> 00:25:50,840 our church. And back in those days we had 281 00:25:50,840 --> 00:25:53,120 Bible conferences that lasted all week. 282 00:25:54,360 --> 00:25:58,240 And back in those days, the church was packed every night of 283 00:25:58,240 --> 00:26:05,160 the week, unlike churches today. But in those days the church 284 00:26:05,160 --> 00:26:10,160 would be packed with a Bible conference and sure enough, we 285 00:26:10,160 --> 00:26:14,880 would go Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, 286 00:26:14,880 --> 00:26:20,560 Friday, Saturday and the place was always packed with people 287 00:26:22,640 --> 00:26:26,840 and the preacher was preaching on hell, heaven and hell. 288 00:26:28,240 --> 00:26:32,600 Where will you go? He talked a lot about heaven and 289 00:26:32,600 --> 00:26:36,000 the glories of heaven. They talked a lot about hell and 290 00:26:36,000 --> 00:26:40,960 the gruesomeness of hell. And I sat there, 2nd row from 291 00:26:40,960 --> 00:26:43,200 the front, because we had our seats. 292 00:26:43,200 --> 00:26:45,120 We sat in the same plate like you do. 293 00:26:45,120 --> 00:26:46,400 You sit in the same spot every week. 294 00:26:47,200 --> 00:26:51,000 All right, We had to sit in the 2nd row from the front every 295 00:26:51,000 --> 00:26:53,760 week. I had to sit with my parents 296 00:26:53,760 --> 00:26:56,280 every week. Could not sit with my friends. 297 00:26:59,000 --> 00:27:03,840 He preached on the gruesomeness of hell as he began to preach 298 00:27:03,840 --> 00:27:06,560 more and more vehemently through the text. 299 00:27:07,640 --> 00:27:16,080 My heart was screaming for help because I realized that that 300 00:27:16,120 --> 00:27:21,560 what he was saying was true. And I realized that I had never 301 00:27:21,560 --> 00:27:24,240 given my life to Christ, that I had done it for my parents sake, 302 00:27:24,360 --> 00:27:27,040 not for Christ's sake. And the Spirit of God was 303 00:27:27,040 --> 00:27:34,920 convicting me through the scriptures and God was calling 304 00:27:34,920 --> 00:27:41,480 me through His word. And March 19th, 1972, on that 305 00:27:41,480 --> 00:27:46,960 Sunday afternoon after church, I went home and told my mom and 306 00:27:46,960 --> 00:27:54,080 dad, Are you sure I'm saved? And I'd ask that question all 307 00:27:54,080 --> 00:27:57,400 throughout the week leading up to that Sunday. 308 00:27:59,000 --> 00:28:01,760 Finally, my parents said, no, no, we're not sure you're saved 309 00:28:01,760 --> 00:28:04,440 at all. And I said, I know I'm not 310 00:28:04,440 --> 00:28:07,600 saved. I need to give my life to 311 00:28:07,600 --> 00:28:12,120 Christ. So on that day, March 19th, 312 00:28:12,120 --> 00:28:19,160 1972, on a Sunday afternoon, beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon 313 00:28:19,480 --> 00:28:26,080 in the spring in Dover, DE, I knelt beside my parents bed and 314 00:28:26,080 --> 00:28:30,760 I gave my life to Christ. Didn't follow along in a prayer, 315 00:28:32,160 --> 00:28:38,920 didn't have a written prayer. I just cried out to God because 316 00:28:38,920 --> 00:28:43,520 God had called me through His Word. 317 00:28:44,680 --> 00:28:49,280 God has spoken through His word. That's how man gets saved. 318 00:28:51,640 --> 00:28:57,520 It's that personal call of God upon your life that when the 319 00:28:57,520 --> 00:29:02,120 Word of God is preached, God calls you to Himself. 320 00:29:04,520 --> 00:29:07,200 And when God calls you to salvation, He calls you to 321 00:29:07,200 --> 00:29:13,600 sanctification to set you apart from the world unto himself. 322 00:29:15,640 --> 00:29:18,320 He calls you into a life of service for the King. 323 00:29:22,000 --> 00:29:29,160 God doesn't call you to salvation and leave you dormant. 324 00:29:31,080 --> 00:29:34,960 No, He, He calls you to salvation and drives you through 325 00:29:36,840 --> 00:29:40,480 life because the Spirit energizes you day by day. 326 00:29:43,280 --> 00:29:45,800 Just like Jeremiah, just like John the Baptist, just like, 327 00:29:46,040 --> 00:29:50,600 just like Samuel, just like Elijah, just like Nathan. 328 00:29:52,800 --> 00:29:56,920 The word of the Lord came to Nathan and, and, and Nathan had 329 00:29:56,920 --> 00:30:02,080 to confront David on a sin and he did. 330 00:30:02,760 --> 00:30:10,800 He obeyed and the word of the Lord comes to us through Matthew 331 00:30:10,800 --> 00:30:15,400 18 and talks to us about confronting sitting brothers. 332 00:30:18,360 --> 00:30:26,320 But note this, there are some people who are called by God and 333 00:30:26,320 --> 00:30:34,120 they do not want to obey. Perfect example is the man 334 00:30:34,120 --> 00:30:40,040 Jonah. Look what it says, Jonah one 335 00:30:40,040 --> 00:30:43,240 verse #1 and the word of the Lord came to Jonah. 336 00:30:43,520 --> 00:30:49,240 Same phrase, God is speaking to Jonah the prophet. 337 00:30:49,240 --> 00:30:55,080 The word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amati, saying, 338 00:30:55,080 --> 00:30:57,800 Arise, go to Nineveh, the great city, and cry against it, for 339 00:30:57,800 --> 00:30:59,680 their wickedness has come up before me. 340 00:31:00,440 --> 00:31:07,760 But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarsus from the presence of the 341 00:31:07,760 --> 00:31:11,440 Lord. So he went down to Joppa, found 342 00:31:11,440 --> 00:31:15,520 a ship which was going to Tarsus, paid the fare, went down 343 00:31:15,520 --> 00:31:23,320 into it to go with them to Tarsus from the presence of the 344 00:31:23,320 --> 00:31:26,920 Lord. Now think about that for a 345 00:31:26,920 --> 00:31:33,920 second. This is the prophet of God, and 346 00:31:33,920 --> 00:31:39,680 in his disobedience he lost all biblical perspective. 347 00:31:42,640 --> 00:31:48,480 In his rebellion against the call of God upon his life, he 348 00:31:48,480 --> 00:31:53,720 lost all rational perspective because he thought he could 349 00:31:53,720 --> 00:32:01,000 actually flee from the presence of the Lord, that God somehow 350 00:32:01,000 --> 00:32:03,280 wouldn't see him getting on a different ship, going a 351 00:32:03,280 --> 00:32:07,120 different direction, and that God would forget all about him. 352 00:32:10,120 --> 00:32:14,360 But you see, when you live in rebellion against God, you don't 353 00:32:14,360 --> 00:32:18,160 think biblically, you don't think theologically, you don't 354 00:32:18,160 --> 00:32:22,320 think rationally, you think ridiculously. 355 00:32:25,120 --> 00:32:32,080 Do you know that when God calls you to himself and cause you to 356 00:32:32,080 --> 00:32:37,760 be involved in the ministry of the church 'cause you as a 357 00:32:37,760 --> 00:32:42,880 Christian to live your Christian life, that when you don't obey, 358 00:32:44,320 --> 00:32:48,400 in essence, you're saying I am fleeing from the presence of the 359 00:32:48,400 --> 00:32:52,200 Lord. The Lord's not going to see my 360 00:32:52,200 --> 00:32:57,040 non involvement. The Lord's not going to see that 361 00:32:57,040 --> 00:33:01,960 my disobedience is is front and center. 362 00:33:03,600 --> 00:33:05,240 The Lord's too busy with everybody else. 363 00:33:05,240 --> 00:33:09,240 He's not going to see me not doing what he's called me to do. 364 00:33:13,360 --> 00:33:18,400 But yet God is everywhere. God sees everything. 365 00:33:20,800 --> 00:33:23,600 But God has gifted you to serve in the body of Christ. 366 00:33:26,120 --> 00:33:29,200 And when you don't serve in the body of Christ, you are saying 367 00:33:29,200 --> 00:33:35,640 to God, I'm going to Tarshish, I'm going to flee your presence. 368 00:33:37,800 --> 00:33:40,160 Then God's not going to know that I'm not serving him in his 369 00:33:40,160 --> 00:33:46,160 church. And I think that I am fleeing 370 00:33:46,160 --> 00:33:47,720 the presence of God. But you're not. 371 00:33:49,240 --> 00:33:57,320 You're not. God calls you to to forgive and 372 00:33:57,320 --> 00:33:58,920 we say we're, we're not going to do that. 373 00:33:58,920 --> 00:34:02,800 And in essence, we're saying I'm going to flee from the presence 374 00:34:02,800 --> 00:34:06,560 of the Lord. He'll never see my unforgiving 375 00:34:06,560 --> 00:34:07,920 spirit. He'll never know that I'm an 376 00:34:08,000 --> 00:34:12,120 unforgiving kind of person, but he does. 377 00:34:14,760 --> 00:34:18,400 God calls you to to give the first fruits of your increase. 378 00:34:21,600 --> 00:34:26,400 And yet we give all kinds of excuses as to why we don't give 379 00:34:26,679 --> 00:34:28,199 from the first fruits of our increase. 380 00:34:28,199 --> 00:34:34,040 And in so doing we think we are fleeing from the presence of the 381 00:34:34,040 --> 00:34:37,719 Lord, that the Lord doesn't see that I don't give to him. 382 00:34:37,960 --> 00:34:40,639 The Lord doesn't see. I don't give him my time or my 383 00:34:40,639 --> 00:34:45,480 talents or my treasures to him. But he does. 384 00:34:46,920 --> 00:34:52,239 He sees it all. And so from from the call of 385 00:34:52,239 --> 00:34:55,159 John the Baptist to the call of Jonah, to the call of of 386 00:34:55,159 --> 00:35:02,760 Jeremiah to the call of you and me, God calls to His word. 387 00:35:05,360 --> 00:35:12,280 He calls very specifically, very clearly, very obviously He calls 388 00:35:12,280 --> 00:35:18,920 us and tells us what to do. And yet so many times we are 389 00:35:18,920 --> 00:35:22,000 more like Jonah than we are Jeremiah. 390 00:35:23,920 --> 00:35:26,800 We don't say my Lord is with me like a dread champion, a fierce 391 00:35:26,800 --> 00:35:28,960 warrior. I'm not worried about what other 392 00:35:28,960 --> 00:35:30,840 people think or what they're going to say or how they're 393 00:35:30,840 --> 00:35:32,600 going to slander me or criticize me. 394 00:35:32,680 --> 00:35:36,440 It's OK because because the Lord of armies is, is with me. 395 00:35:36,560 --> 00:35:39,640 The Lord of hosts is my guide. I'm, I'm good. 396 00:35:40,760 --> 00:35:44,760 No, we, we capitulate to the circumstances around us. 397 00:35:44,760 --> 00:35:54,360 And all of a sudden we we shrink back like John the Baptist and 398 00:35:54,360 --> 00:35:56,840 fall into the dungeon of doubt and disillusionment and 399 00:35:56,840 --> 00:36:02,440 discouragement and then say, God are you who you say you are? 400 00:36:04,920 --> 00:36:08,360 And God never changes. He's always the same. 401 00:36:10,120 --> 00:36:13,040 That's why he told John the Baptist or John the Baptist 402 00:36:13,040 --> 00:36:19,760 followers in Luke 7. He said very clearly, blessed 403 00:36:19,760 --> 00:36:22,080 are all those who do not stumble over me. 404 00:36:24,240 --> 00:36:32,480 Blessed is the man who who does not quarrel over the way I do my 405 00:36:32,480 --> 00:36:38,680 business. I've planned it's going to 406 00:36:39,200 --> 00:36:41,360 function exactly as I designed it to function. 407 00:36:44,120 --> 00:36:48,720 So the question for you and me is this, if you've been called 408 00:36:48,720 --> 00:36:54,920 by God and maybe here today and, and the general call of God is 409 00:36:54,920 --> 00:36:58,160 given to you, you've never given your life to Christ. 410 00:37:01,120 --> 00:37:05,240 And God says, whosoever shall call upon me shall be saved. 411 00:37:06,880 --> 00:37:12,120 Call upon the name of the Lord. Come to me, all you that labor 412 00:37:12,120 --> 00:37:14,880 and heavenly, I'll give you rest, but you got to come to me. 413 00:37:17,720 --> 00:37:20,080 Will you be disobedient to that call or will you be obedient to 414 00:37:20,080 --> 00:37:24,920 that call? And for those of you who have 415 00:37:25,040 --> 00:37:28,840 who have responded to the word of the Lord because the gospel 416 00:37:28,840 --> 00:37:32,120 of truth has been presented to you, God has called you to to 417 00:37:32,120 --> 00:37:34,880 serve in his church. God has called you to minister 418 00:37:34,880 --> 00:37:37,320 to one another. He he has made you a steward, a 419 00:37:37,480 --> 00:37:41,800 household manager of #1 eternal reconciliation. 420 00:37:41,960 --> 00:37:46,440 Second Corinthians 5 that were to preach the gospel #2 temporal 421 00:37:46,440 --> 00:37:50,360 riches because he's given us all that he has and we're to be good 422 00:37:50,360 --> 00:37:53,120 household managers of of the riches he's given to us. 423 00:37:54,400 --> 00:37:58,400 Spiritual resources because God's gifted us with a special 424 00:37:58,400 --> 00:38:01,200 gift because we're in his Kingdom and we're to be a good 425 00:38:01,200 --> 00:38:04,200 steward of that spiritual resource being used to build the 426 00:38:04,200 --> 00:38:08,080 body of Christ and personal relationships. 427 00:38:10,040 --> 00:38:12,040 It's required of a steward to be found faithful. 428 00:38:13,360 --> 00:38:18,600 It's the word of the Lord to us, the call of God upon our lives. 429 00:38:21,800 --> 00:38:25,840 We have to ask ourselves, are we like Jonah when it comes to God 430 00:38:25,840 --> 00:38:29,840 calling us to do certain things? When it comes to presenting the 431 00:38:29,840 --> 00:38:37,280 gospel or encouraging other people in their relationship or 432 00:38:37,280 --> 00:38:42,600 giving to the ministry of the church, or exercising my gifts 433 00:38:43,800 --> 00:38:50,440 in the body of Christ, are we trying to flee from the presence 434 00:38:50,440 --> 00:38:51,520 of the Lord? And someone will say what? 435 00:38:52,120 --> 00:38:54,480 I don't think I'm doing that. Well, yes, yes you are. 436 00:38:55,800 --> 00:38:57,320 Why? Because you think that God 437 00:38:57,320 --> 00:39:01,240 doesn't see what you're doing, that God doesn't see you in your 438 00:39:01,240 --> 00:39:04,320 disobedient state, that God doesn't see you in your 439 00:39:04,320 --> 00:39:05,680 rebellious state, but he does see you. 440 00:39:05,720 --> 00:39:09,440 The question comes, how do you respond? 441 00:39:11,400 --> 00:39:14,560 Because you see, John the Baptist was called in a very 442 00:39:14,560 --> 00:39:17,400 personal way, like Jeremiah, like Jonah. 443 00:39:18,600 --> 00:39:29,920 He was called by God because there there came a man sent from 444 00:39:29,920 --> 00:39:42,280 God personally. The word of God came to John #2 445 00:39:45,080 --> 00:39:50,240 I have 7. By the way, the word of God came 446 00:39:50,240 --> 00:39:56,800 to John privately. Privately. 447 00:39:59,080 --> 00:40:05,880 Luke 3 verse #2 says the word of God came to John the son of 448 00:40:05,880 --> 00:40:11,720 Zacharias. What's the next phrase in the? 449 00:40:13,440 --> 00:40:20,920 Wilderness where in the wilderness if you go back one 450 00:40:20,920 --> 00:40:26,480 page to Luke one verse #80 after zechariah's prophecy about his 451 00:40:26,480 --> 00:40:29,160 newborn son. So John the Baptist is an 452 00:40:29,160 --> 00:40:32,480 infant. Verse 80 And the child continue 453 00:40:32,480 --> 00:40:36,160 to grow and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the 454 00:40:36,160 --> 00:40:42,520 deserts until the day of his public appearance in Israel. 455 00:40:44,000 --> 00:40:47,960 So the question comes, how long did John live in the desert? 456 00:40:48,640 --> 00:40:52,160 How long was John privately in the wilderness? 457 00:40:53,720 --> 00:40:59,960 Did he go when he was 13141516? Did he go when he was 20? 458 00:40:59,960 --> 00:41:02,880 Because some would say that at the age of 20 he would begin to 459 00:41:02,880 --> 00:41:04,960 enter the priesthood. Instead of entering to the 460 00:41:04,960 --> 00:41:10,720 priesthood, a very public life, he entered the wilderness, very 461 00:41:10,720 --> 00:41:15,920 private life. Bob didn't tell us, but Luke 462 00:41:15,920 --> 00:41:24,760 180, the curtains close on John the Baptist as an infant, and 463 00:41:24,760 --> 00:41:28,200 the curtains are not again raised until Luke 3 verse #2 464 00:41:29,080 --> 00:41:33,440 when it says the word of the Lord came to John the son of 465 00:41:33,440 --> 00:41:38,960 Zacharias in the wilderness. There's more said about Jesus 466 00:41:40,600 --> 00:41:43,840 from ages 1 to 30 than there is about John the Baptist from ages 467 00:41:43,840 --> 00:41:47,960 1 to 30 because we have a, a counter of Jesus when he was 12 468 00:41:47,960 --> 00:41:50,960 years old in the temple, right? We told his mother, don't you 469 00:41:50,960 --> 00:41:53,320 don't have to be about my father's business that there, 470 00:41:53,320 --> 00:41:56,040 there is no like such occurrence with John the Baptist. 471 00:41:56,880 --> 00:42:01,720 We know nothing about John except that he grew strong in 472 00:42:01,720 --> 00:42:05,200 the Lord. And the question comes, where 473 00:42:05,200 --> 00:42:08,640 did he grow? Strong in the Lord? 474 00:42:10,160 --> 00:42:13,160 Privately. In seclusion. 475 00:42:14,600 --> 00:42:22,560 Listen, Total obscurity breeds tremendous maturity. 476 00:42:25,480 --> 00:42:31,480 Total obscurity breeds tremendous maturity. 477 00:42:31,760 --> 00:42:36,760 Ask Moses. Moses was on the backside of the 478 00:42:36,760 --> 00:42:42,280 desert for 40 years, thinking that 40 years earlier he could 479 00:42:42,280 --> 00:42:46,440 enact the the Exodus by slaying an Egyptian. 480 00:42:46,440 --> 00:42:51,240 But nobody wanted to follow him, so God drove him to the backside 481 00:42:51,240 --> 00:42:54,040 of the desert because it would take him 40 years to learn how 482 00:42:54,040 --> 00:43:00,000 to shepherd people. When God came to Moses in a 483 00:43:00,000 --> 00:43:02,840 burning Bush, Moses was a completely different man than he 484 00:43:02,840 --> 00:43:07,640 was 40 years earlier. But in the privacy of the 485 00:43:07,640 --> 00:43:14,360 wilderness, in the desert, in isolation, he became the man God 486 00:43:14,360 --> 00:43:23,080 needed him to be. How about Paul after his 487 00:43:23,080 --> 00:43:27,640 conversion? Three years he was in the 488 00:43:27,640 --> 00:43:32,160 Arabian desert before he began to be used by God in the great 489 00:43:32,160 --> 00:43:40,360 and mighty way. Big about Think of Elijah again 490 00:43:41,240 --> 00:43:50,040 at Careth, in isolation in the wilderness, cultivating his 491 00:43:50,040 --> 00:43:53,080 relationship with the living God. 492 00:43:56,160 --> 00:44:00,080 Think of Christ. All you have to do is go to Mark 493 00:44:00,080 --> 00:44:04,440 chapter 1 and realize that he had spent all day ministering, 494 00:44:05,080 --> 00:44:09,280 but arose early the next day to go off in isolation, in 495 00:44:09,280 --> 00:44:12,040 obscurity, so he could commune with his God. 496 00:44:14,040 --> 00:44:18,200 After the death of John the Baptist, Christ told his men, 497 00:44:20,120 --> 00:44:23,280 come apart with me for a while to a secluded place. 498 00:44:24,320 --> 00:44:27,160 Why? Because they needed to reflect 499 00:44:27,680 --> 00:44:30,560 on all that had taken place in the death of John the Baptist 500 00:44:30,800 --> 00:44:34,480 and the fact that they one day would lose their lives because 501 00:44:34,720 --> 00:44:36,280 of their commitment to the Christ. 502 00:44:40,280 --> 00:44:45,000 But for John the Baptist, let's just say he went at age 20. 503 00:44:47,600 --> 00:44:49,240 His ministry began when he was 30. 504 00:44:51,960 --> 00:44:55,720 He was on the backside of the desert for 30 for for 10 years 505 00:44:56,240 --> 00:44:58,160 before he began his ministry at age 30. 506 00:44:59,800 --> 00:45:03,160 It only lasted 18 months before he was beheaded. 507 00:45:04,080 --> 00:45:09,120 Not very long at all. But there he was growing strong. 508 00:45:10,960 --> 00:45:12,920 There he was communing with his God. 509 00:45:14,600 --> 00:45:17,400 There he was reviewing Old Testament manuscripts. 510 00:45:18,760 --> 00:45:26,000 There he was understanding his call upon his life, there in 511 00:45:26,000 --> 00:45:35,560 solitude and in silence, the two most neglected disciplines of 512 00:45:35,560 --> 00:45:40,080 the Christian, he grew strong in his walk with the Lord. 513 00:45:41,960 --> 00:45:48,480 Oh, by the way, the number one spiritual discipline that marked 514 00:45:48,520 --> 00:45:54,920 the life of Christ was solitude and silence. 515 00:45:57,160 --> 00:46:01,840 If you want to be like Christ, you got to spend a lot of time 516 00:46:01,840 --> 00:46:08,320 alone in silence. I've shared this with you 517 00:46:08,320 --> 00:46:09,640 before. I'll I'll share it again in 518 00:46:09,640 --> 00:46:13,880 closing. Once there was a man who who 519 00:46:13,880 --> 00:46:18,800 dared God to speak. Burn the Bush like you did from 520 00:46:18,800 --> 00:46:20,240 Moses. God and I will follow. 521 00:46:20,440 --> 00:46:22,360 Collapse the walls like you did for Joshua. 522 00:46:22,360 --> 00:46:26,960 God and I will fight still the waves like you did on Galilee, 523 00:46:27,880 --> 00:46:31,680 and I will listen. So the man sat by a Bush near a 524 00:46:31,680 --> 00:46:34,400 wall close to the sea, and waited for God to speak. 525 00:46:36,360 --> 00:46:38,440 God heard the man so got answered. 526 00:46:39,680 --> 00:46:43,760 He set a fire not for a Bush before a church. 527 00:46:45,040 --> 00:46:48,480 He brought down a wall, not a brick, but a sin. 528 00:46:49,800 --> 00:46:52,480 He still the storm, not of the sea, but of a soul. 529 00:46:54,160 --> 00:46:59,440 And God waited for the man to respond, and he waited, and he 530 00:46:59,440 --> 00:47:04,360 waited and he waited. But because the man was looking 531 00:47:04,360 --> 00:47:09,800 at bushes and not hearts, bricks are not lives, sees are not 532 00:47:09,800 --> 00:47:14,680 souls. He decided that God had done 533 00:47:14,880 --> 00:47:18,880 nothing. Finally, he looked to God and 534 00:47:18,880 --> 00:47:25,720 asked, Have you lost your power? And God looked at him and said, 535 00:47:27,200 --> 00:47:36,200 have you lost your hearing? God speaks in the silence, in 536 00:47:36,200 --> 00:47:42,480 solitude of life, in the loudest of ways. 537 00:47:44,760 --> 00:47:46,880 But most of us never take the time to listen. 538 00:47:50,080 --> 00:47:55,560 John the Baptist did for at least 10 years, probably more, 539 00:47:56,840 --> 00:48:01,960 on the backside of a desert, personally called by God. 540 00:48:02,960 --> 00:48:08,840 Privately he communed with God, became a man. 541 00:48:11,200 --> 00:48:17,840 Not just any man, an extraordinary man whose name was 542 00:48:17,840 --> 00:48:23,640 John and that man was sent by God. 543 00:48:24,840 --> 00:48:35,880 How personally, privately, oh, and yes, prophetically, but 544 00:48:35,880 --> 00:48:38,280 that's next week. Let's pray together. 545 00:48:40,360 --> 00:48:43,360 Father, we thank you, Lord, for today and the things you teach 546 00:48:43,360 --> 00:48:47,120 us. Our prayer Lord, is that we 547 00:48:47,120 --> 00:48:52,800 would be the kind of people that when we hear God speak to us 548 00:48:52,800 --> 00:48:58,600 through His word, we say, Yes Lord, we will follow, we will 549 00:48:58,600 --> 00:49:04,200 obey, we will honor and glorify your precious name until you 550 00:49:04,200 --> 00:49:09,080 come again, as you most surely will in Jesus name, Amen.