SWYC 2011: Lest We Forget

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GYC Southwest

Our Position, Our Work

Dwayne Lemon

Part 1: What Time Is It?

There's so much to share and so little time.

And I'm going to plead with you that you please prepare your heart for what we're going to be talking about.

I believe the Lord has anointed all of the speakers that have been selected for these meetings.

It's an awesome task to stand before the people and to share God's truth with them and it requires power from heaven and so I'm gonna ask and solicit your prayers for all of the speakers but I want you to keep your ears very attentive to the things the Lord is going to share with us tonight.

And the 1 way that I know that we will be edified is if you have your Bibles with you.

It would be a shame to come to a meeting without your textbook?

You know, the Bible says in Jeremiah 17 in verse 5, it says, cursed be the man that puts his trust in man and make his flesh his arm.

Wouldn't it be a shame to come to a meeting like this, a holy convocation, and to come without our Bibles and to come ready to hear what a man has to say.

The Bible says that anyone who does that, it's like we're preparing ourselves for a curse, when God wanted to give us nothing but blessings.

The last thing you want to do when you leave these meetings is quote what any speaker has said.

You only want to quote what thus saith the Lord.

And the only way that we can effectively do that is we must have the Word of God in our hands.

And so tonight I'm gonna share with you, thus saith the Lord.

Before we go ahead and do that, I wanna pause for a word of prayer.

Now it's normally my habit that I always invite the congregation to kneel with me.

But I recognize that we're fairly close and squeezed together and we're on this hard asphalt and we know that some of the skirts are a little too high.

So therefore, perhaps the knees might get scraped and things of that nature.

But if you cannot kneel, then I'm gonna ask if you could please reverently bow your heads where you are.

If you're able to kneel, then you're certainly welcome to join with me as we approach the Lord's throne in prayer at this time.

Our Heavenly Father, we thank you so much, Lord, for the privilege and the opportunity to come together and to press together for such a meeting as this.

You have brought us here for this holy convocation.

And Father, before this weekend is over, we're gonna understand holy convocation like we never have before.

Father, I'm just asking that you would please forgive us of our sins, that you may cleanse us from all unrighteousness, that you'll teach us how to be holy and to look to Jesus the author and the finisher of our faith for we trust that by beholding him we shall become changed into the same image.

So father we come asking for the presence of your Holy Spirit Because Lord I confess there is nothing that I can say to your people that can change anyone's life and there's nothing any speaker could say it's only by the power of your Holy Spirit.

So Father we ask for his presence to come and may nothing in our hearts hinder him from being able to move freely within our hearts, that we may even have the mind of Christ.

I pray that you'll please take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee.

I pray that you will open our eyes and help us to behold wondrous things out of your word.

For these and all other blessings we ask we ask it in Jesus name, amen.

I firmly believe that we have come here for training.

In other words, we have come here not to sit back and to try to treat this like some type of entertainment where we're hearing various messages and we say ooh and ah and we're tantalized by our ears, but at the end of it all, we are still not working.

Our goal, brothers and sisters, is to hear something, to hear the Lord say something to us that'll cause such a drastic change in our hearts that we will leave here completely different than when we came in.

My hope and my prayer is that God is gonna speak to your hearts.

It can come through a song, it may come through the sermon, it may come through the prayer room, and it may come just through your time in secret prayer with God.

So you have no idea how he's going to speak to you, so you definitely want to be attentive as it relates to what's going to take place over these next few days.

But brothers and sisters, I got to tell you the truth.

There is something very special that Christ wants us to understand.

Jesus wants us to understand that there is a great gospel work that we are to do.

And this is why in place of so much sermonizing, as the wonderful book Evangelism says in page 363, it tells us that in place of so much sermonizing, that God's people should be coming together to study text by text to know what they believe.

I think it's high time to do that, how about you?

And so it is that I want you to see something because Jesus wants us to go ahead and herald the wonderful message of the first, second, and third angels message.

So let's take our Bibles and we're going to go through the book of Revelation chapter 14.

In Revelation chapter 14, God is going to make clear to you and I that this is the work that he has called us to do at such a time as this.

And we will expand on this work as we go further in our study.

The Bible says in Revelation the 14th chapter, and When you get there, I'm gonna ask you to please say amen.

The Bible says in Revelation chapter 14 in verse 6, here's our work in case you don't know.

The Bible says in Revelation 14 starting at verse 6, John the Revelator, he says, "'And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth and to every nation and kindred and tongue and people, saying with a loud voice, fear God and give glory to him for the hour of his judgment is come.

And worship him that made heaven and earth and the sea and the fountains of waters.

There followed another angel saying Babylon is fallen this fall in that great city because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

And the third angel followed them saying with a loud voice, if any man worship the beast and his image and receive his mark in his forehead or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation.

And he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the Holy Angels and in the presence of the Lamb and the smoke of their torment ascended up forever and ever and they have no rest day nor night who worship the beast and his image and whosoever received the mark of his name Here is the patience of the saints.

Here are they that keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus Christ.

This is the wonderful herald of the first, the second, and the third angel's message.

And this is a message which is a call of preparation the same way John the Baptist when he went throughout the world and he was preparing people for the first advent of Jesus Christ he Gave a message that was to prepare the people for the coming of the Lord and yours and my work is the very same work brothers and sisters.

Our work is to prepare a people for the second coming of Jesus Christ.

That's our mission and this mission is accomplished through this threefold gospel message.

Now what's interesting is that if you look carefully at the first, second, and third angels message, you should see something different in it.

It is interesting that there's a great call that God wants us to make, but I want you to see how the Bible brings it out as we look again at the first angel's message.

The Bible says when it comes to the first angel's message, I want you to look at it in verse 7.

After John says, I saw another angel and he's flying in the midst of heaven and he has this everlasting gospel to preach, Notice what it says in verse 7.

The Bible says in Revelation 14, 7, saying with a what?

Now, let's go to the third angel's message in verse 9.

It says in verse 9, and the third angel followed them saying with a loud voice.

Now, brothers and sisters, here's my question.

What do you believe is different about the first and the third when you compare it to the second the first angels message is said with what kind of voice?

The third angels message is said with what kind of voice?

When you look at the second angel's message, is there a loud voice?

But then when we go to Revelation the 18th chapter, notice what the Bible says here now.

In Revelation chapter 18, you see it is not ironic that God put it together this way because when we understand Adventist history we will begin to see why the second angel's message at first could not have been done with a loud voice but by time we get to this point notice what the Bible says in Revelation, the 18th chapter.

In Revelation, the 18th chapter, notice what the Bible says starting in verse 1, and if you're there, please let me know by saying amen.

The Bible says, and after these things, I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power, and the earth was what?

Lightened with his glory and he cried how?

Mightily with a strong voice saying Babylon is fallen Babylon the great is fallen is fallen and has become the habitation of devils and the hold of every foul spirit and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird here it is that by time we get to this second angels message being repeated now it is no longer being said simply with a voice but the Bible says is being said with a mighty strong voice is that right so therefore we know that this is what the Bible is this is what is referred to as the loud cry and this is the great work that God is preparing us even now to get ready to do as we prepared to give the first second and third angels message in its fullness but brothers and sisters here's the thing that's interesting If a man wants to learn how to play golf, he probably would go to Tiger Woods to learn it.

And 1 of the reasons why you would probably agree is because to date, he still seems to be the best when it comes to that sport.

When it comes to someone who wants to play basketball, people will say Michael Jordan or LeBron James or somebody like that because they'll say, well, that person obviously is the best at the game.

What about when it comes to preaching the gospel?

When it comes to the preaching of the gospel, who is it that you and I can look to as a model to know how we can do it and give it with such force like he did it?

Who else would it be that would teach us?

Now, brothers and sisters, because of the fact that Jesus is the 1 best qualified to show us how to herald the gospel message in such a way that it can win souls to him.

Then I wonder what was the great methodology that Jesus used when he gave his gospel message.

Part 2: Holy Convocation

Let me say good morning and happy Sabbath to everyone.

I'm thankful to God for another opportunity that we can come together to study together.

There are many beautiful things that the Lord wants to share with all of us.

The key thing that you want to keep praying about, brothers and sisters, is that you want to ask God, Lord, get me ears to hear.

I believe that we are living in a time where it's not necessary to hear such new and startling messages but we're living in a time that we simply live up to the light of the messages we already have.

God is having a struggle with his people.

He has given to us so much light, but the problem is is that when we look at our lives many of us can see if perhaps not all of us can see that we are not living up to the light that we already receive.

And yet we come to meetings because we're looking for more light.

And God is saying to us, listen, if you can learn first things first, if you can learn to practice that which you already know, God says, then our minds and our hearts are now in a position that we can receive more because even God believes in making proper investments.

God knows that he wants to give truth to his people and he wants to give it in great abundance.

Brothers and sisters, don't ever forget this.

The truth that was designed to save us if we are not careful can be the same truth that can condemn us.

And this is why the Bible says to him that knows to do good and doeth it not to him It is said Jesus does not want to save and cannot save anybody in sin.

He can only save us from sin And this is why we're coming together, to press together, to study, so that we may understand what is thus saith the Lord.

And so you'll find that many of the things that I'm gonna share with you by the grace of God are simply gonna be heavenly reminders.

It's not my desire to try to give you something brand new and startling per se, but what I want to do is present the gravity of the importance of embracing that which God has already given to us.

And I believe that if we can do that, brothers and sisters, we can truly be prepared to receive higher light, better light, greater light, and ultimately be able to see the 1 who is light, that is none other than Jesus Christ.

And so as we prepare to go into our message this morning, I want to once again approach the Lord in prayer, and I'm going to kneel, and once again I'll invite you, if you are able to, you're welcome to join with me and kneel if you cannot then just please reverently bow your heads where you are but let us approach the Lord in prayer at this time as we study together.

Our Heavenly Father, Lord we are so grateful for the privilege and the opportunity of prayer.

You have told us that prayer is communication with God as 1 talks with a friend.

We thank you Lord that we can come to you because Jesus made it clear as he offered his friendship unto us for he said greater love has no man than this that when a man lays down his life for his friends and so father we come because we want to reciprocate that love and we want to lay down our lives before thee.

We truly, dear God, want to behold Jesus.

Our desire is that we may cooperate with him as he does his final work in the plan of salvation in the heavenly sanctuary.

And so may you speak to our hearts in a very marked manner.

May you do as your son David prayed so long ago and may you open our eyes and help us to behold wondrous things out of thy love.

And Father, I ask that you would please forgive us of our sins, Cleanse us, dear God, from all unrighteousness.

And help us to look to Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith, for we trust that by beholding him, we shall become changed into the same image.

And I pray, dear God, start with my own heart, for I give myself to you afresh, and I pray take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee.

May the words that shall be spoken today first meet my own heart's need, And then I pray that it may touch the hearts of my brothers and my sisters.

And may we be 1 in Jesus, for this is our prayer that we ask in Jesus' name.

♪♪ Last night, we approached the Word of God to understand a little bit about time.

And I'm grateful for the privilege to study time.

There's much to say about things that are taking place in this world.

And I knew there was no way that I could package everything that I wanted to share with you in 1 presentation.

But I wanted to just bring us up to the point that we can see that in the midst of this economic crisis, in the midst of all these calamities that is sweeping this world by a storm, brothers and sisters, this is God's way of letting us know what's getting ready to come next.

And We saw clear as day that all of these things are leading to something.

It is leading to the last act in the drama.

That last act in the drama is none other than a passing of a national Sunday law.

And we saw the ramifications of the very fact that when a Sunday law is passed, that test is gonna come so hard to God's people as well as to the world, that brothers and sisters, we saw last night that even a great majority of our own people are gonna turn away from God's truth.

We're gonna see a large class of those who are professing faith in the third angel's message, and these same individuals will find themselves turning away from Jesus, the 1 whom they have professed to love and adore.

We're told that many a star that we have admired for their brilliancy will go out in darkness.

Brothers and sisters, if ever there was a time to take your eyes off of man, it is now.

You do not want to fix your eyes on, quote-unquote, seventh-day Adventist celebrities.

You don't want to go ahead and start getting caught up in speakers and evangelists and preachers and teachers because, brothers and sisters, we are already seeing stars going out.

And I believe that we haven't seen anything yet.

We have to take our eyes off of men and fix our eyes on the man, Christ Jesus.

And brothers and sisters, we saw last night that understanding time helps us know what to do.

And that's the key, is that we understand what to do.

We saw that we need to awake to righteousness.

And we saw, brothers and sisters, that 1 of the key things I want you to understand, if I could put in 1 verse what the principle of righteousness by faith is all about, I would put it in Hebrews the 11th chapter.

In Hebrews the 11th chapter, I want you to turn your Bibles with me there.

If I could just put righteousness by faith in 1 verse, I would put it in Hebrews the 11th chapter.

And you'll find that in Hebrews the 11th chapter, the Bible tells us something about righteousness by faith that is an eternal principle.

And once we can understand this, I believe that we are going to better understand the things that I'm about to present to you throughout the remainder of our time together over these next few days.

The Bible says in Hebrews the 11th chapter, and if you're there, please say amen.

The Bible says in Hebrews 11 and verse 7, it says this, and I want you to listen carefully to what the Word of God is saying.

It says, by faith, Noah being warned of God of things not seen as yet what did he do he moved with fear that's an action word is that right it says he moved with fear prepared an arc to the saving of his house by the witch he condemned the world and became heir of what?

The Bible makes it clear that righteousness by faith is not something that God does it all and man does nothing.

Righteousness by faith is not that man does it all and then he approaches God and asks for help when he needs it.

Righteousness by faith, brothers and sisters, has ever been and always will be cooperation between humanity and Divinity.

Divinity gives all of the resources, all of the powers, all of the strengths, everything that individuals need.

You and I must exercise the will and let God work in our lives for His glory.

And so it is that when we talk about understanding time and knowing what to do, we're not talking about doing something to make yourself right.

There's nothing you and I can do to make ourselves right.

But the 1 thing I do know is this, your doings and my doings can testify of that which is right already within my heart.

This is why a man cannot be saved by works, but he can definitely be judged by them.

Man cannot work his way into the favor of God, heaven forbid, but a man's works testifies if God is in the heart.

And this is why every time Story of Redemption says that Noah put that hammer to the ark, Ellen White says it was a sermon.

He showed by his works that he believed and trusted God.

He looked like a fool to the outside world.

And here goes this brother building a boat, getting ready for some serious rain.

He looked odd, singular, and straight-laced.

And the reason why I choose those 3 terms is because we're told in inspiration that every single 1 of God's true faithful soldiers in these last days by the world and perhaps even by many in the church will be looked upon as odd, singular, and straight-laced.

A fanatic is somebody who goes above what the Word of God says.

A fanatic can be someone who consistently falls short of what the Word of God says, but a fanatic is never somebody who does exactly what God says.

But do you know how few there are who live by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God?

And so, brothers and sisters, what Jesus is saying is that we must live by his word.

And we discovered last night that time is almost finished.

And the question is, do you and I reflect the lovely image of Jesus as we should?

Go to the book of Revelation chapter 10 in Revelation chapter 10 You will find that that's the great mystery of God that that is that wonderful mystery of God that the Lord wants to do in yours in my heart He wants to reflect that lovely image of Jesus in us He wants us to be a bunch of little Jesus's walking all throughout this world.

Not people talking about Christ, but people reflecting Christ.

Part 3: Afflict Our Souls

As I mentioned, as I mentioned earlier, we are coming together to study specifically part 2 of our 4 point study as we're looking at our position and our word.

And we saw that there are 4 things that conduct the life of God's remnant people in these last days.

If you forget, just remember it's Leviticus 23 verses 27 to 32.

And brothers and sisters, you're gonna want to make sure that you understand your work.

You wanna make sure that you understand what you and I are supposed to be doing right now so that way we can really make sure that we are a people prepared to meet our God.

Remember, we are not doing any of these things in order to merit any special favor with God.

We are doing these things because of the relationship we have with Christ.

It is our desire, we do these things based on a love for Jesus.

So therefore we want to make sure that we rightly understand this study.

Now, this study is going to be afflict our souls.

And you're going to find that this is going to be a most important study because afflicting our souls has much meaning and we're gonna have to look in the Word of God and let the Word of God be our guide to help us rightly understand how to afflict our souls and I want us to do some things as we prepare to go into this study.

The first thing I want us to do is turn our Bibles to the book of Leviticus chapter 23.

In Leviticus the 23rd chapter, Leviticus chapter 23, You'll remember that the Bible was making something very clear to you and I as God's people that we want to make sure that we understand it.

In verse 27 of Leviticus 23, the Bible says something very important.

And before we go into that, let's just have a brief word of prayer as we approach the Lord's throne.

I'm gonna go go ahead and kneel and if you are able to and would like to you can join with me otherwise you can reverently bow your heads where you are and let us kneel and pray together.

Our loving Father we are grateful once again for the opportunity to come together, to press together and to study, to show ourselves approved unto God that we can be workmen as well as workwomen.

We need not be ashamed for we have rightly divided your words of truth.

I pray that you would please first forgive us of our sins and that you would abide with us in a very special way.

That as we once again look at this very special topic dealing with our position and our work, that as we deal with this topic of the affliction of one's soul, that you will truly open our eyes and help us to behold wondrous things out of thy law.

Bless us we ask dear God and we give ourselves to you and may you truly be glorified in all that is said and done in this study together we pray for we ask it in Jesus name amen in Leviticus the 23rd chapter you'll find that the Bible tells us in verse 27 and 28 what God's people should be doing while the high priest was in the most holy place.

The Bible says in verse 27, Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement.

It shall be in holy convocation unto you.

You shall afflict your souls and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord.

And you shall do no work in that same day, for it is a day of atonement to make an atonement for you before the Lord your God.

Now I want you to look carefully at verse 29.

The Bible says in verse 29, for whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, what will happen to him?

He shall be cut off from among his people.

The word of God is making it clear to you and I that this is very serious.

And therefore, we're gonna really take a look at this topic of afflicting one's soul, seeking to understand what does it mean, how do we apply it even in 2011, bordering on 2012, how do we make this thing practical in my day-to-day life?

Now, as we prepare to go into this study, there's some very key things I need to make you aware of.

There are many things in this world that are needed.

If you read in the book Ministry of Healing, page 143, you would see that 1 of the great things that the world needs right now is a revelation of Jesus Christ.

Series

Our Position, Our Work

Part 6: Do No Work

Transcript

Parent Series

Parent Conference

Sponsor

Recorded

WYC 2012 Breakout Sessions

Fear God, Part 1

50m

Persecution Within

1h

What Jesus Said

11. Holy Spirit Baptism

1h

Experiencing Righteousness Through Faith in Christ

5. The Mind of Christ and the Impending Conflict

59m

"Tell It Again"

God’s Love Language

56m

Plenary

Mission Revival

1h 27m

Prophetic Preaching and Persuasive Appeals for Decision

03 When to Preach Persuasive Appeals for Decision

58m

AMEN 2013: Plenary Sessions

The Patient Experience 2b

1h

Plenary

ASI Members in Action

1h 58m

Dwayne Lemon Revival

How to Have Religious Liberty Before Religious Liberty

1h 24m

GYC 2013 Seminar: Planet in Distress

04-When Did We Stop Watching?

41m

Fulfilling Kim’s Dream

49m

Sound Doctrine