Wes Peppers

Lansing SDA Church

Reaching Up

It is a blessing to be here and thankful that we can open the word together.

And I feel like this is a very serious message that I'm going to share with you this morning.

And I just hope that you'll pray for me and hope that you'll pray for you.

And we're just going to join together those prayers just now.

I'm going to kneel and invite you to bow your heads wherever you're at as we ask the Lord's blessing.

Father, we thank you so much for this opportunity to be together, Lord.

And I'm thankful that we can just come together, open the word, and to just hear your voice speak this morning.

And as my voice speaks, I pray that your words would come forth, that they would be divinely inspired, that they would be divinely given from heaven, and Lord that you would just speak to us this morning and transform us.

And Lord, help us to long for the second coming of Jesus.

And may that desire in our hearts that only you can place there, May that drive our every decision every day.

So we ask for your blessing now, and we thank you, and we come in the precious name of Jesus.

I've spoken with a number of people in the last few weeks who have, in their own hearts, in their own lives, deeply sensed that the coming of Jesus is getting very close.

I don't know if you would agree with that.

In fact, 1 of my relatives, all the Adventists in my family are first generation Adventists.

I started with my uncle 20 years ago and his wife and then my 2 cousins and my 1 cousin's wife and then my cousin's wife's mother and then myself.

So we're all first-generation Adventists.

But 1 of my relatives, I won't tell you which 1, told me that there were some issues in their life that they had been struggling with, some certain programs that they had been watching, certain books they had been reading.

And she told me that she felt very strongly that the Lord was speaking to her, that she needed to remove those things from her life because they were not preparing her for heaven and that they were in fact pulling her away from heaven.

And so she wrestled with those things for quite some time.

And finally she surrendered them to the Lord.

And she said, now I'm clear of those things.

I have more time to read the Spirit of Prophecy and various things I had always wanted to do, thought I didn't have time.

I've had a number of people, and this is the last month, that have told me that they have had dreams about the second coming.

I've had a dream, I had a dream just a week ago about the second coming.

I'm not a prophet or the son of the prophet.

But I believe the Lord sometimes gives us those things to wake us up.

It's not the first time that's happened to me, maybe it's happened to you.

But I believe that we are imminently living upon the soon return of Jesus, and we often don't even realize how near it really is.

Now I could be preaching this same sermon 50 years from now, and if I am, it would still not negate the fact that Jesus really is still coming soon, because 50 years in the eyes of eternity is nothing.

And so this morning I want us to preach a sermon, a message and speak to you this morning about the second coming of Jesus.

In the book of Titus chapter 2, verse 13, The Bible tells us that we are looking for the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

A very pointed question for you this morning.

Is it the blessed hope of your heart this morning?

The thought is the thought sweet to you that Jesus would come within the next 5 years?

I'm not saying He will, but is that a sweet thought to you, yes or no?

And so is that a sweet thought for you this morning?

And the glorious appearing of Jesus, If you knew that you could stand in the presence of Jesus today, would that be a sweet thought for you?

When the book of 1 Thessalonians, I'll invite you to turn there, this entire book actually goes through and it reveals different aspects about the Second Coming.

Now in the original writing of the Bible, of course we know that verses and chapters were not there, that it was just 1 book, But it's very interesting how in the book of 1 Thessalonians, Paul repeatedly talks about the second coming.

And in fact, in the book of Thessalonians, in each chapter, at the very end of the chapter, he talks about the soon return of Jesus.

And so what we're gonna do this morning is we're gonna go through the book of 1 Thessalonians and look at the end of each chapter and notice how it talks about, it gives us glimpses of the second coming of Jesus.

So in 1 Thessalonians chapter 1, we're gonna begin in verse 5.

The Bible says, For Our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power.

Does the gospel have power this morning, yes or no?

Are you experiencing that power of the gospel in your life?

Are you experiencing the resurrection power of Christ in your heart, in your life, in your home, and your places of work.

It's my prayer this morning that you are.

And the Bible continues and it says, And in the Holy Spirit and such assurance as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake.

And you became the followers of us and the Lord, having received the word with much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe.

For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place.

For your faith towards God has gone out so that we do not need to say anything." Imagine that if the faith of each 1 of us went out into the community and the community so knew us as a body of faith that the pastor wouldn't have to get up and say anything on Saturday.

And look at this, for they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from what?

From idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come." So, Paul here speaks and he says that these people received the Word with much what?

We live in a free country, but the time is coming when if you want to receive the word, it will be with much affliction.

That is already the case for many believers around the world.

People just a few months ago, some Christians were killed by Muslims for their faith, and at the death, when they had the sword to the neck, they declared their faith in Jesus Christ.

And because of their witness, because of their boldness, because of their courage, because of their faith in Christ, because they received the word in much affliction.

It led to others of those killers accepting Jesus as their Savior.

It's going to cost something to be a Christian very soon.

And so the Bible tells us that they received the word in much affliction, but that they also turned from their idols to serve the living God, and they were waiting for Jesus to return from heaven.

So Paul mentions the second coming at the end of chapter 1.

Point number 1, the hope of the second coming leads us to turn from what?

From idols to Christ alone for our hope and salvation, because He is the Living God.

Brothers and sisters today, idols run rampant in the world.

Idols run rampant in the church and idols are running rampant in many of our lives.

And the Bible tells us that when we keep the second coming of Jesus ever before us in our hearts.

When that is the thing that consumes our thoughts, it puts in us a desire to turn away from those idols to the living God.

How many of you want to be turning yourselves toward the living God today?

How many want to have that hope of Jesus in your hearts?

So the hope of the second coming of Jesus, it breaks the power of idols in our lives, because that becomes the reality and the centrality of our lives, the soon return of Jesus Christ.

I'll tell you friends, as Seventh-day Adventists, we have had this message for a hundred and 50 years.

But I fear that, especially in North America, that we are losing that vision of the soon return of Christ.

That our lives are becoming, beginning to become absorbed with other things.

And the Bible tells us very pointedly that anything we choose which is contrary to the truth of the Bible or places Jesus as second place in our lives and leads us astray from God's ideal becomes an idol in our lives.

Many times we are searching, we are chasing after the things of this world.

And Jesus tells us in Matthew chapter 6, to seek ye first That good employment, right?

Seek ye first that higher education, right?

Seek ye first the sports and entertainment.

The kingdom of God and His righteousness.

And let me tell you, some people I talk to at various times, I'm not just talking about this church here, I'm just talking generally here.

People say, well, I don't have time to serve in the church.

H.M.S. Richards

Voice Of Prophecy

The Beasts of History

Lift up the trumpet and loud let it ring, Jesus is coming again.

Cheer up you pilgrims, be joyful and sing, Jesus is coming again.

This is the voice of prophecy, a voice crying in the wilderness of these modern days, Prepare ye the way of the Lord.

Coming again, coming again, Jesus is coming again.

From our Voice of Prophecy studios in Los Angeles, California, We welcome you to this half hour of inspiration and music with the King's Herald's Del Delker, Brad Braley, and the voice of prophecy speaker HMS Richards, a Seventh-day Adventist minister.

♪ Take the name of Jesus with you, child of sorrow and of woe.

It will joy and comfort give you, take it then where'er you go.

Precious name, oh how sweet, hope of earth and joy of heaven.

Precious name, oh, how sweet, Hope of earth and joy of heaven.

Take the name of Jesus ever, As a shield from every snare.

If temptations round you gather, breathe that holy name in prayer.

Precious Oh, how sweet, hope of earth and joy of heaven.

Precious name, oh, how sweet, hope Above earth and joy of heaven.

Our Heavenly Father, we pray that thou wilt bless this broadcast to everyone who listens.

We pray for the peace of the world and for the rulers of mankind that there may be religious liberty.

O God, remember the parched earth where the great droughts affect so many.

There is a place of quiet rest near to the heart of God, A place where sin cannot molest, near to the heart of God.

O Jesus, blessed Redeemer, sent from the heart of God.

Hold us who bow before Thee, near to the heart of God.

♪ God has shown his loving face from his throne in heaven above, And I found a resting place in the shelter of His love.

I am resting sweetly, resting in the shelter of his love.

Oh, if you were never blessed With this peace from heaven above, There's for you a wondrous rest in the shelter of his love.

I am resting, sweetly resting in the shelter of His love.

The King's heralds now reflect upon the cruel treatment heaped upon our Savior and sing, I'll be a friend to Jesus.

They tried my Lord and Master with no 1 to defend.

Within the halls of Pilate, he stood without a friend.

My life for Him I'll spend, I'll be a friend to Jesus, Until my years shall end.

To all who need a Savior, my friend I recommend.

Because He brought salvation is why I am His friend.

Here now is HMS Richards, the voice of prophecy speaker.

In the second chapter of the book of Daniel, Holy Bible, we find a great prophecy of the history of the world from Daniel's time down to our own.

That is from about 600 years before Christ until his second coming.

Under the symbol of an image of a gigantic man, the whole history of the human race is pictured.

The breast and arms of silver, Medo-Persia, the sides of brass, the Grecian Empire, the legs of iron, the Roman Empire.

The feet which were a mixture of iron and porcelain with their 10 toes represent the divisions of the Roman Empire now known as Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Italy and so forth.

Which nations are still in existence today?

Then God declared to the prophet, ìIn the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed.

That's the prophecy of the second chapter of Daniel.

Now we turn to the seventh chapter where we find the same course of human history pictured under an entirely different symbol, namely 4 great beasts or wild animals.

Remember they were written over 600 years before Christ was born.

Daniel says, I saw in the night visions, behold 4 winds drove upon the great sea, and 4 great beasts came up from the sea, different 1 from another." Are we just guessing when we say that these 4 beasts represent the 4 great imperial powers of this earth which reign successfully and successively over civilized humanity?

I think not because we read in verse 17, These great beasts which are 4 are 4 kings which should arise out of the earth.

That word kings really means kingdoms as we find in verse 23.

The fourth kingdom upon this earth is the fourth beast says the prophet.

If the fourth beast is the fourth kingdom then the third beast is the third and so on.

You see God is using symbolic language, picture language, just as in our day the bear represents Russia, the lion Britain, the eagle United States.

These are really 4 great cartoons of prophecy representing actual facts of history.

It often was not safe for a prophet to speak of certain countries by name, any more than it would be for a man today in certain lands to mention those places by name in positive statements, that their power would come to an end, that there would be great changes in history.

In the symbolic or picture language of the Bible, winds represent war and strife as we find in Jeremiah 25 31.

As a result of war and conflict, strife among the nations, these great empires rise 1 after the other.

The waters which thou sawest, said another prophet, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.

So the wind stirring up a great storm over the sea in this prophecy represented wars among the nations.

And as a result these kingdoms arise, represented by these cartoon beasts.

The first was like a lion and it had eagle's wings.

Finally the prophet sees the wings plucked from it.

Just as the golden head of Nebuchadnezzar's great image represented the mighty empire of Babylon.

So the lion with eagle's wings represents the same earthly kingdom.

The wings of course represent speed, rapidity of conquest.

The lion doesn't fly like an eagle upon its prey.

His boldness of spirit is gone, weak, timorous, afraid, the symbol of a declining nation.

Not long after this, Belshazzar held his great feast with a thousand of his lords.

A city even then was besieged by the invading Medo-Persians.

King Belshazzar showed either his foolishness or his defiance in spending the night in drunken revelry when he should have been planning his defense against the enemy.

Suddenly upon the wall of the banquet hall, a bloodless hand from the sleeve of darkness writes the words of doom.

Thou art weighed in the balances and found wanting.

Thy kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians." That's Daniel 5, 29.

So it happened that the city was captured that very night.

Belshazzar himself died at the hand of his enemies.

There are no doubt governments today on the walls of whose cabinet rooms the Lord has written, Thou art weighed in the balance and found wanting, thy kingdom is divided.

We think of individuals too, yes, maybe some of us listening to this broadcast.

If we should look into our own hearts, we'd see written there, thou art weighed in the balances, found wanting.

If so, it's our privilege to do what Belshazzar did not do.

If we repent of our sins, turn toward righteous obedience, all through the atoning sacrifice of Christ, we may find full salvation and a happy experience of service for God.

The Near East and Bible Prophecy

This is the voice of prophecy, a voice crying in the wilderness of these modern days.

From our Voice of Prophecy studios in Los Angeles, California, We welcome you to this half hour of inspiration and music with the King's Herald's, Del Delker, Brad Braley and the voice of prophecy speaker HMS Richards, a Seventh-day Adventist minister.

There's another task to do, there's a battle to renew, and the captain calls for you.

Volunteers, volunteers, rally to the throbbing drum.

Shout we come, we come, volunteers, volunteers, volunteers.

Christ before us, Christ behind, Christ on every side, for the rescue of mankind, unto glory, glory, ride.

Volunteers, Volunteers, we are in a winning fight.

Victories in sight, Volunteers, Volunteers, Volunteers.

Christ before us, Christ behind, Christ on every side, for the rescue of mankind, on to glory ride.

Our Heavenly Father, we pray that Thou wilt bless this broadcast to all who hear.

And today in a special way we pray for the rulers of the nations, that the peace of the world and the freedom of gospel preaching may be maintained.

O God, we pray Thee that Thou will touch the hearts of those in authority and lead to the open preaching of the open book.

O Jesus, blessed Redeemer, sent from the heart of God, hold us who bow before Thee, near to the heart of God.

The King's Herald's Quartet sing now about the experience of the Christian when Jesus comes.

We'll all want to see the Savior first of all.

When my life work is ended and I cross the swelling tide, When the bright and glorious morning I shall see, I shall know my Redeemer when I reach the other side, and his smile will be the first to welcome me.

I shall know him, I shall know him, and redeemed By his side I shall stand.

I shall know him, I shall know him, By the print of the nails in his hand.

Through the gates of the city, in a robe of spotless white, he will lead me where no tears will ever fall.

In the glad song of ages, I shall mingle with delight, But I long to meet my Savior first of all.

I shall know Him, I shall know him, and redeemed by his side I shall stand.

I shall know him, I shall know him by the print of the nails in his hand.

And now here is HMS Richards, the voice of prophecy speaker.

His subject, the Near East and Bible Prophecy.

The Near East and Palestine, the Holy Land of the Bible, more and more draw the attention of the world.

The public press, radio, television, news broadcasts, report increased tension in this part of the world.

It would be well for those who believe the Holy Scriptures to keep their eyes on the Near East, especially the Holy Land itself.

This part of the world is the center of the land mass of the globe.

This is where the interests of Africa, Asia, and Europe really meet.

Here in this strategic location, God put his chosen people, the ancient Israelites.

Through all past centuries, the Holy Land has been the center of world interest and world importance.

Great conquerors have passed back and forth over its sacred soil.

Great battles have been fought within its borders and around it.

The people of Israel were placed right in this intersection of the highways of the nations in the center of the darkness of this earth.

Here they were to be the light of the world.

It was God's plan that they should give light to all the nations.

They should uphold the great truths that had been revealed to them through the prophets.

The Temple at Jerusalem built by King Solomon was to be like a mighty pulpit from which the Holy Scriptures and the knowledge of the true God could be given the world.

Jesus said the Temple at Jerusalem should be called a house of prayer to all nations.

That was God's plan but God's people largely failed Him in spite of all the Holy Prophets could do.

Back to Menu

All Teachings

Reaching Up

46m

The Beasts of History

27m

The Near East and Bible Prophecy

27m

Is the Devil Real?

30m

The Crisis and the Challenge

1h 11m

How to Know God’s Will for My Career and Ministry

49m

Go Home

42m

Starving Jesus

58m

How to Know God’s Will for My Relationships

48m

How to Know God’s Will for My Life

41m

Till, Plant, Cultivate. Why do Outreach

42m

When God Calls You

42m

Sound Doctrine