WYC 2012: Fall Afresh

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GYC West

WYC 2012 Plenary Sessions

Dwayne Lemon

John’s Work, Our Work, Part 1

Very thankful to be here this evening to talk with God's people as we come together to press together, to study together.

We are here because there's a great cry for the Spirit of God to fall afresh on us.

We're going to be talking about that this evening.

Now If you were looking at your bulletins, you would see that there's a different title connected to the message that I'd be sharing with you, but that is not the title that God has given to me this evening.

So I'll be sharing that with you shortly.

But nevertheless, we're going to go ahead and pause for a word of prayer because we have much to share and little time to do it.

So as much as you're able to, I'd like to invite you, if you would, to please kneel with me so that we can approach the Lord in prayer at this time.

Our Father in heaven, we come before you, dear God, in holy convocation because it is our earnest desire that we would indeed receive the outpouring of thy Holy Spirit.

Father, there are many things that you have commissioned to your church to get done in these very final moments of earth's history.

And Lord, we recognize that it cannot be done by might or simply by power, but it's only going to be by your spirit, saith the Lord.

And so we come committing ourselves, asking you first to forgive us of our sins, and that you'll also cleanse us from all unrighteousness, that you'll help us to even behold Jesus.

For we trust that by beholding him, we shall become changed into the same image.

Father I commit myself into your hands may you please take my life and let it be consecrated Lord to thee and I thank you that you have heard this prayer and I trust that you have answered it For we ask it all in Jesus' name, amen.

Now, I am not sure how my friends, pretty much from this row onward, are going to be able to see the screen.

So I guess you'll just trust me to read it and that's all right.

But nevertheless, we're gonna go ahead and begin.

Now, we're calling unto the Lord to ask him to fall afresh on us, to pour out his Holy Spirit upon our hearts and our lives because we know indeed we can't do anything without Jesus.

Jesus said in John 15, 5, "'Without me you can do nothing.'" And the way that Christ is received in the heart is by his Spirit, amen?

Now there are many reasons why individuals ask for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

They want to accomplish certain things, they want to overcome certain things, there are many various reasons, but 1 thing I want to show you that I would dare to say is the ultimate goal of receiving the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is found in Acts chapter 1.

Turn there with me to the book of Acts chapter 1 and we're going to look at the highest heights of why God is giving his spirit to his people and why his people should be pleading and crying out for the outpouring of his Holy Spirit.

Let's turn to the book of Acts chapter 1.

Now I want you to notice what the Bible says here as we consider verse 8.

The Bible says in Acts 1 8 but ye shall receive what?

It says but ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you and ye shall be what?

Witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and in Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

The great purpose of God pouring out his spirit upon us is so that we may be effective witnesses to share his truth with others so the world can finally be ready for the coming of Jesus Christ.

The Bible is encouraging us that we are to receive the outpouring of God's spirit so that we may be able to fulfill the Great Commission.

When you ask for something, remember what the Bible says in Proverbs 4, 7.

The Bible says, Therefore get wisdom, but with all thy getting get what?

So while you're asking for 1 thing, you want to Understand why you're asking for it.

We are asking for the outpouring of God's Holy Spirit so that we may be the effective Witnesses that he has called us to be to this world.

Amen now Understanding that let's move to 0.2 0.2 is this Because of the fact that God wants us to do this, there's a great witnessing effect that the Bible tells us about in Revelation the 18th chapter.

Perhaps this would be the great highest of the highest experiences of the power and demonstration of the Spirit of God allowing us to be effective witnesses to the world.

Notice what the Bible says in Revelation and we're turning to chapter 18.

Now when we get to Revelation 18 please say Amen.

In Revelation the 18th chapter we're starting at verse 1.

I want you to notice what the Bible says here.

The Bible says in Revelation 18, verse 1, And after these things, I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power, and the earth was lightened with his glory.

And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the greatest 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.

For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and it goes on to say, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies, and I heard another voice from heaven saying, Come out of her, who?

Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins and that ye receive not of her plagues.

Now, the Bible tells us, number 1, when we ask for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, he is gonna come to us and he wants to endow upon us power so that we could be what?

Now in Revelation 18 we see God demonstrating this power in a marked manner through the cry, the loud cry of the second angel's message repeated with greater force as it tells all of God's people to come out of what?

Now this is what is termed as a loud cry.

It's an angel with a strong voice, a loud cry.

If we want to receive the refreshing, If we want to receive the refreshing, if we want to receive the outpouring of God's Holy Spirit so that we may do a work that is designed to finish the work, Christ finishing a work within us so that he can work in us and through us to finish the work in the world.

If this is our great goal, if this is what we're seeking to do, there is something imperative that you and I need to understand.

You saw the quote earlier, I want you to look at this.

Every truly converted soul, it says, will be intensely desirous to bring others from the darkness of error into the marvelous light of the righteousness of Jesus Christ, the great outpouring of the Spirit of God, which lightens the whole earth with his glory.

All right, it says, will not come until we have an enlightened people that know by what experience what it means to be laborers together with God.

When we have entire wholehearted consecration to the service of Christ, God will recognize the fact by an outpouring of his Spirit without measure." Notice, "...but this will not be while the largest portion of the church are not laborers together with God." It says God cannot pour out his spirit when selfishness and self-indulgence are so manifest.

So therefore if we really want the Spirit of God to fall afresh on us, We must understand that there's going to be a role that we're going to have to play as it relates to this ideology called soul winning.

We are going to have to embrace the ideology of soul winning if we really want to be prepared to receive the outpouring of God's Holy Spirit amen all right now question are we not living in a time where revival and reformation is the greatest and most urgent of all of our needs.

Now, there are some who would believe that revival and reformation, some who believe that revival and Reformation is independent of doing a soul-winning work.

In other words, there are some people who believe that what I need to do is pray more and do we need to pray more?

Some people say, well I need to study more.

Some people will say I need to go ahead and do various different things but very few individuals when they think about revival and reformation and That being able to take place in our lives and in our hearts so that we may fulfill the great gospel commission There are very few people who connect the work of soul-saving in the process of bringing about revival and Reformation.

Now does the Bible teach that when individuals go about seeking souls that it does something for them to make them more spiritual and more closely connected to Jesus.

Let's notice, Isaiah the 58th chapter, watch this now.

In Isaiah the 58th chapter, let's notice what the Bible says here.

The question is, Does the work of soul winning does something for me personally as it relates to the experience of Revival and Reformation notice what the Bible says in Isaiah 58 in Isaiah the 58th chapter We're going to consider just verses 6 to 8 We can go further, but for time's sake, I'm just going to cut it between verses 6 to 8.

Notice what the Bible says in Isaiah 58, starting at verse 6.

It says, Is not this the fast that I have chosen?

To loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke.

This is a different kind of fast than what some people are used to.

Then it says in verse 7, is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house when thou seest the naked that thou cover him and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh." Now is this not a soul-winning work that has been described thus far in these 2 verses?

Yes it is, but did you notice now, I want you to catch this, what's the first word in the next verse?

As a result of this, so something's going to happen when individuals get out of selfishness and self-indulgence and they begin to reach out towards others notice what verse 8 says It says then shall thy light break forth as the morning and if anybody in here is sick notice What will happen to you it says and thine health Shall spring forth how?

Speedily it says and thy righteousness shall go before thee the glory of the Lord shall be thy re-reward." So the Bible says that there is an effect that happens to you and I when we get out of our own selfishness, out of our own self-indulgences, and we begin to reach out towards others and seek to bring them to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Stephen Bohr

Let God Lead

Father in heaven, thank you so much for the privilege of being in this beautiful place.

Thank you Father that we're able to gather together for a weekend and just kind of unwind and relax and be in the middle of nature where we can hear your voice speaking so much clearer than in the rambunctious cities.

We ask Father that as we open your word this evening that your Holy Spirit will be with us to guide our thoughts.

We ask that your Holy Spirit through the ministry of the angels will soften our hearts, that we might be willing to hear your voice and not only to hear your voice but it to implement the principles that we're going to take a look at this evening and we thank you father for the privilege of prayer and for hearing us for we ask it in Jesus name Amen basket in Jesus name, Amen.

The Old Testament is full of Messianic prophecies.

In fact these Messianic prophecies basically announced every event of the life of Christ, including the exact moment of His birth.

If you'll open your Bibles with me to Galatians Chapter 4 and verse 4 we will see that God had a precise time in His calendar for the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

It says there in this very well-known verse.

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law.

Notice it says when the fullness of time had come, in other words when the precise moment had come for Jesus to be born, that is the precise moment when his birth occurred.

I'd like to read a statement from the Spirit of Prophecy where she's commenting upon Galatians chapter 4 and verse 4.

This is what she has to say in Desire of Ages pages 31 and 32.

The Savior's coming was foretold in Eden.

When Adam and Eve first heard the promise they looked for its speedy fulfillment.

They joyfully welcomed their firstborn son, hoping that he might be the deliverer.

But the fulfillment of the prophecy tarried.

Those who first received it died without the sight.

From the days of Enoch the promise was repeated through patriarchs and prophets, keeping alive the hope of his appearing, and yet he came not.

The prophecy of Daniel revealed the time of his advent, but not all rightly interpreted the message.

Century after century passed away, the voices of the prophets ceased, The hand of the oppressor was heavy upon Israel, and many were ready to exclaim, The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth.

Now comes the portion of the statement that I specifically want to dwell upon this evening.

But like the stars in the vast circuit of their appointed path, God's purposes know no haste and no delay.

Humanly speaking it appeared like the coming of the Messiah was delayed, but according to the spirit of prophecy God's purposes no, no haste and no delay.

In fact as we examine the Gospels we discover that every event of the life of Christ was carefully choreographed before Jesus came to this world at the incarnation.

In fact before Jesus came to this earth He sat down with His Father and His Father revealed to Him every event of His earthly life, every contact he would have, every place he would go, every word that he would speak had been mapped out already in the ceaseless ages of eternity past.

In fact the prophecies of the Old Testament reveal the exact time of His birth, His baptism, His death, His burial, His resurrection, His priesthood, and the beginning of the investigative judgment in the heavenly sanctuary.

You can find specific dates for each 1 of those events of the life and the ministry of Jesus Christ, the exact time and day when these events would occur.

In fact Just to give you an example, did you know that Jesus died in fulfillment of the Passover on the exact year, the exact month, the exact day, and the exact hour in which prophecy had specified?

The year is given in the 70-year prophecy, the prophecy of the 70 weeks where it says that he would be killed in the middle of the week.

The month is given in Leviticus Chapter 23 where it says that the Passover was celebrated in the month of Nisan, but also we have the specific day in which it would happen which was the 14th day of Nisan.

And in fact in Exodus Chapter 12 and verse 6 it tells us that he would die exactly at 3 o'clock in the afternoon between the 2 evenings as it says there in Exodus chapter 12 and verse 6.

In other words every event of the life of Christ without exception, every person he would meet, every word that he would speak, every event that would transpire had already been mapped out and planned before Jesus came to this earth.

In John Chapter 5 and verse 30 we find Jesus expressing what was the basis of His decisions on planet earth.

I can of myself do nothing, as I hear I judge, and my judgment is righteous, Because I do not seek my own will, but the will of the Father who sent me.

Every act of the life of Jesus took place in harmony with His Father's will.

1 of the events that I particularly enjoy at the Winter Olympics is the figure skating.

I don't know if you enjoy that particular event but I never cease to be amazed at how those skaters can twist and turn and jump so perfectly, right at the right time, at the right place, and in the right way.

I can't help but marvel as I see them performing there on the ice.

They don't just come out on the ice and start skating, they have practiced that program time and again, time and again, perhaps hundreds of times before so that when they get on the ice they know every single move and every single turn where they are supposed to be and when they are supposed to be in that place in the program that they have rehearsed.

And so it was with Jesus while He was on this earth He simply unfolded the plan that had been devised in the ceaseless ages of eternity as to time and as to event.

However, while Jesus walked upon this earth He did not have the knowledge that He had when He was in heaven with His Father.

In other words, each day we're going to find the Father had to reveal to Jesus what His itinerary would be, where He would go, who He would speak with, and what He was specifically to say.

Let me give you a few biblical examples of this.

You remember the story of the man that's registered in John chapter 9 where you have the man who was born blind.

Now we're told that the disciples came to Jesus and they asked him a question in chapter 9 and verse 2.

Rabbi, or teacher, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?

Jesus immediately answered, listen carefully to what his answer was.

Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.

The impression that we get from this verse is that this man was born to meet Jesus at that particular time and in that particular place so that the works of God could be revealed in him at that precise moment.

You see Jesus through a life of intensive prayer with His Father, through studying Bible prophecy, through a contemplation of nature, and by a careful observation of the providential circumstances of his life, he knew exactly when to act and what to do.

Day by day the Holy Spirit revealed to him exactly what his itinerary was for that particular day.

There are several verses in the gospel of John where Jesus says, My time is not come, or My hour is not come, or My hour has come.

Let's notice several of those verses that we find in the gospel of John.

The first is in John Chapter 2 and verse 4, this is at the wedding in Cana.

There's no wine, and the mother of Jesus comes to him and says there is no wine.

I want you to notice what Jesus answered to his mother.

Jesus said to her, woman what does your concern have to do with me?

A little bit later on in the gospel of John in Chapter 7 and verse 6 and verse 8 we find that the brothers of Jesus, half-brothers of Jesus, encouraging him to go to the feast of tabernacles in Jerusalem.

And I want you to notice what Jesus said to his half-brothers, sons of Joseph by a previous marriage.

Then Jesus said to them, this is John 7 and verse 6.

My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.

And then verse 8 He says to them, you go up to this feast, I am not yet going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.

Here Jesus says to those who are listening, My Father has sent me, and they really got aggravated at Jesus for saying this, and I want you to notice what they tried to do but could not.

Then they sought to take Him, but no 1 laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.

And then we move on to the next chapter John 8 and verse 20.

Jesus says to those who are gathered together, you don't know me and you don't know my father.

Once again notice the reaction of those who were listening to what Jesus said.

These words Jesus spoke in the treasury as He taught in the temple, and no 1 laid hands on Him, for his hour had not yet come.

You remember that towards the end of his ministry some Greeks came to Jesus and they wanted an interview with Jesus actually Philip and Andrew were the ones that told Jesus that these Greeks wanted an interview with Him.

It's interesting to notice what Jesus responded to them.

John chapter 12 and verse 23 But Jesus answered them, saying, the hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.

Notice that he's saying the hour has what?

The hour has now come, and then notice verse 27.

Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say?

Father, save me from this hour, but for this purpose I came to this hour.

Once again Jesus is showing that He's aware that He has a calendar of events, there's a certain hour and there's a certain time for events to transpire in the divine calendar that was set for Him before He came to this world.

The next example is in John chapter 13 and verse 1, John chapter 13 and verse 1.

Now before the feast of the Passover, When Jesus knew that His hour had come, that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.

Notice Jesus was aware according to this that His hour had come.

And then we move on to John Chapter 17 and verse 1.

See time and again in the gospel of John we have this phenomenon of the time and the hour for events to occur.

John 17 verse 1, here Jesus is praying His intercessory prayer to His Father, and notice what we find there.

Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said, Father The hour has come.

Glorify your Son, that your Son also may glorify you.

So we find in these verses clearly indicated that Jesus had a calendar of events that had been established for Him before He actually even came to this world.

Now I want to read you an interesting statement from the Spirit of Prophecy because some of you might be wondering was every little detail of the life of Christ mapped out before He came to this world?

Listen to this amazing statement from Desire of Ages page 147 Desire of Ages page 147.

Siegfried Roeske

Irene Zarida

Question and Answer

With the coming crisis and what has been shared here about the concept of achieving perfection and there's not that much time left, How do you achieve that and have a balance in your life so that you don't come away scared or overwhelmed?

I believe that the answer is very clear in 1st John chapter 4 that God wants first to recognize us to recognize our sense of need.

Man by our very nature human tendency is to believe that we can do things by ourselves and so God allows an understanding of a crisis whether it's a crisis that happens in our health or in our family, he wants to strip us of self-confidence.

No 1 can be ready to meet Jesus that has self-confidence.

So He allows a crisis to be revealed that shows us that it's not safe to trust in ourselves.

The same thing that will give us power to get victory is the same thing that will remove fear.

In 1 John chapter 4, the Bible says, Beginning in verse 17, herein is our love made perfect that we may have boldness, that's a lack of fear, in the day of judgment.

Because as he is, so are we in the world.

Then the next verse says, there is no fear in love.

And so this is clear that the Bible says that if a man has love in his heart for the master, then he does not have fear.

If a man's afraid, it's an evidence that he's lacking love.

And so the thing that would stop us from being overwhelmed is in the midst of this to understand the love of Jesus.

Where's the greatest place that the love of Jesus has been revealed?

But It's interesting that when you study the Bible, we're actually told in the pen of inspiration, Great Controversy 489, it says that the cross, that the clear revelation of the love of Christ is actually given in the most holy place.

You ever read a statement that says that in the last generation we will see the full and final display of the love of God.

And so the full display, the final display of the love of God is still in the future.

We're actually going to see a greater revelation.

When you look at the sanctuary, from the outer court to the holy place to the most holy place, we're looking more at the love of Jesus.

You remember when the Bible says who's going to forgive most?

So that love increases more and more until the perfect day, Proverbs 4, verse 18.

So I believe that if we see that love from the outer core and into the most holy place, that is perfect love.

You know the Bible speaks of alpha and the omega.

We must understand that love as is displayed in the beginning and at the end.

So if we have that love, it will destroy fear and it will show us how to practice the principles that God has given us in everyday life.

There's a beautiful quotation stated by Sister White in Life Sketches 196, where she says, in reviewing our past history, having traveled over every step of advance to our present standing, I can say, praise God.

As I see what the Lord has wrought, I'm filled with astonishment and with confidence in Christ as leader.

We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us and his teaching in our past history.

When we study the movements of God from our past history all the way up to the point where Sister Wise says she was reviewing it, she sees that love that was demonstrated, that faithfulness of our great leader.

And he is still offering and willing to give that love and that faithfulness to each and every 1 of us.

And as long as we hold on to that and not forget our past history and not forget the way God has led us, then we have nothing to fear because he has already promised victory as we abide in Him.

I like the point that Pastor Davis brought out in Great Controversy 489.

It actually said, she starts to talk about the cross but then she transitions into the Most Holy Place and the words that she uses is she says, there.

Now when she's talking about the Most Holy Place, that was the last topic that she was talking about, she says there, in the Most Holy Place, she says the light of the cross is reflected.

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Series

WYC 2012 Plenary Sessions

John’s Work, Our Work, Part 1

Transcript

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Parent Conference

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Recorded

Parts

John’s Work, Our Work, Part 1

53m

Let God Lead

56m

Question and Answer

44m

The Cross and the Latter Rain

1h

John’s Work, Our Work, Part 2

55m

Isaiah 58 and the Latter Rain

1h 14m

Repentance and the Latter Rain

1h 19m

Sound Doctrine