Alive at the End Time
 by Mark Finley
Tonight, as we begin our presentation, I invite you to bow your heads with me as we pray..... "Father in heaven, tonight open our eyes and help us see Jesus. Help us see Him clearly and may His love touch our hearts and change our lives tonight. In Christ's name, Amen."
In the last days of earth's history, there will be true and false messiahs. Our topic tonight is "Alive at the End Time".
Throughout history, there have been true messiahs and false messiahs. Jerusalem is the center of three great world religions: Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. .....Jews consider Jerusalem to be theirs by divine right; they believe that God gave them this city. The western wall is all that remains of the temple that once revealed the splendor and glory of Judaism. Today many of our Jewish friends come to that western wall to pray. They come to ask God to send the messiah to deliver them, to bring in majesty and glory and prominence and dominance for Israel. They come here, many of them, writing out their prayers on small pieces of paper and sticking them in the wall. .....Not far from the western wall is the Dome of the Rock. It is here that our Muslim friends believe that Abraham offered up Ishmael.....yes, our Muslim friends believe that Ishmael was the child of promise, and they believe that Abraham offered up Ishmael here. They also believe that this was the spot, the Dome of the Rock, from which Mohammed ascended to heaven on a white horse.
.....Christians consider Jerusalem sacred as well. Throughout history, Jerusalem has had its true Messiah and its false messiahs.
In 1960, archeologist Yagel Yadin was excavating in the Massada area, and there he came across a very startling, amazing discovery. He discovered a 'bas relief,' that is to say, a story etched in stone about the legendary Bar Kokba. Bar Kokba was a Jewish mercenary soldier who rose up after the destruction of Jerusalem. Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. And after Jerusalem was destroyed and the Jewish worship system was destroyed, the Emperor Hadrian built an altar and an image of the god, Jupiter, right on the site where the Jewish temple had been. When Hadrian built that altar and that statue of Jupiter, the Romans actually offered pigs up as sacrifices. The Jews became angry and defiant, and a young soldier, a mercenary by the name of Bar Kokba, arose. He convinced the Jews that he was their messiah, and this charismatic false messiah led the Jewish armies against the Romans. Coins of the time bear Bar Kokba's name. They called him 'the prince,' 'the deliverer,' 'the messiah.' They actually called him 'the star that fell from heaven.' He was of course terribly defeated. In 1960, when the archeologist Yagel Yadin read about Bar Kokba to the Jewish parliament, the Israeli parliament began clapping because the inscriptions that Yagel Yadin read said, "Bar Kokba --- president, or prince, of Israel."
Jesus made, in Matthew 24:5, some amazing predictions. He said that, before Jerusalem fell and shortly thereafter in the early centuries, false christs would arise. In Matthew 24:11, He said false prophets would arise. False christs and false prophets did arise in those early centuries, but these false christs and false prophets were just a foretaste, just a little appetizer, just a little miniature, just a microcosm of what is to come. Because talking about the end of time, talking about the last days, talking about the days that you and I live in, Jesus said, in Matthew 24:24, "For false christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect." Bar Kokba deceived God's chosen people in the first century. In the last century, false christs and false prophets will arise and deceive many of God's people, even Christians, just like the Jews were deceived in the first century.
In fact, in the book of Revelation, God describes two leaders: the Lamb, Jesus Christ (Revelation 14:4 talks about those who follow Jesus, who give their allegiance to Jesus, who worship Christ) and the beast. Revelation 13:3 talks about those who are deceived by the false christ. The beast's power, the Antichrist, the false christ, will not come claiming that he is demonic; he will rather come as an impostor, as a counterfeit, pretending to be Christ! But the devil is not interested in deceiving the world, because he has them.....he's interested in deceiving those who profess to be Christians! Now, before this series is over, we will study such topics as: the tribulation, end events, the United States in Bible prophecy, the coming economic boycott and the union of church and state. Before this series is over, we'll study the beast's power and his mark, so you can understand exactly what is coming in the world.
But look, friend.....unless you can detect and understand the true Messiah, unless you know what the genuine is, how will you possibly be able to know what a counterfeit is? The United States government teaches its agents to detect counterfeit money. During a course in Washington, D.C., the agents pour over bills for weeks, but during that course they do not look at one counterfeit bill. How can they detect a counterfeit, if they don't look at one counterfeit bill? They study the originals first, and then they know how to distinguish the counterfeit, and they study the counterfeit only later in the course. They become specialists in the original. I want to be a specialist in knowing Jesus, because Jesus is a hero whose luster shines brighter through the ages. Tonight, in this Discoveries In Prophecy series, we want to focus on the genuine Messiah, Jesus Christ. Yes, later we'll get into Revelation, but we want to look at the predictions that point out that Jesus is different, that Jesus is superior, that Jesus is above any false messiah.
As we study, we see that the pieces come into the puzzle beautifully. Jesus claimed that He was more than a good man, more than an ethical philosopher, more than a righteous teacher. In fact, Jesus said, in John 6:38, "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me." Jesus claimed that He lived with the Father for all eternity. Jesus said, "I am the I Am." The Jews knew what He meant, so they tried to stone him! Jesus said, 'I came down from heaven. I've lived with the Father from eternal ages in eternity.' Jesus claimed to be more than a good man, more than an ethical philosopher, more than a moral teacher. He claimed to be God in human flesh, to be divine. If Christ is not divine, then His offer of eternal life means nothing, because only a divine Christ can give eternal life. If Christ is only a good man, if Christ is merely a moral teacher, if Christ is merely a philosopher, if Christ is some New Age guru and nothing more, if that's all He is, to follow Him may be helpful, may point us in a moral direction, but it might not mean much at all. If Jesus is just some guru, then, you have your guru and I have my guru. But if Jesus is divine, to reject Him means to lose eternal life. If Jesus is divine, and if He offers eternal life, that makes all the difference. There is one Messiah who stands out above all the rest.
I'd like to take you on a journey with me tonight..... Jesus said in His day, in John 5:39, "These are the scriptures that testify about Me." In Christ's day, Jesus only had the Old Testament. (The New Testament hadn't been written yet.) And so Christ outlined for His disciples prophecies from the Old Testament,prophecies that take us down through the centuries, prophecies that prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Christ is the genuine Messiah.
Tonight, let's look at some of these prophecies, embedded in the heart of scripture. Christ's life was written beforehand. Before He was ever born, these prophecies were penned. Before He was ever born, His life was revealed in advance. In fact, tonight we're going to study the prophecies of Christ's birth --- where He was born and the manner of His birth. We're going to look at His life and ministry. We're going to look at His betrayal and the manner of His death. Jesus' life was outlined in advance!
Let's go to the logical place to begin..... Most biographies begin with the birthplace of their leading hero. Let's read Micah 5:2, which the prophet Micah wrote 700 years before Christ was born: "Bethlehem.....out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be ruler in Israel." Jesus was to be born in Bethlehem. The prophet named Jesus' birth place, Bethlehem, 700 years in advance! Now, any schoolchild knows that Jesus' home town was Nazareth. What would bring a woman, nine months pregnant, by donkeyback over 90 miles from her home? You know, if you and I visited Nazareth just before the birth of Jesus, and we asked, "Where will the child be born?," any self-respecting person in Nazareth would have answered, "Mary isn't going anywhere at this stage of her pregnancy!" Nazareth is in the north of Israel in the province of Galilee, and Bethlehem is central, south in Judea. The trip from Nazareth through Jerusalem to Bethlehem is some 90 miles, 150 kilometers. (I've made that trip recently to tape an "It Is Written" television special. In fact, that special is running right now --- you can see it on Sunday mornings, "Jesus Face to Face". You knew I had to get a commercial in for "It Is Written" television!) You have to travel 90 miles, 150 kilometers, from Nazareth to Bethlehem. It was a decree from Caesar Augustus that brought Jesus and the Holy Family there to Bethlehem on the very night of Christ's birth, when there was no room in the inn. The exact night that the Messiah was born, the Holy Family arrived in Bethlehem. How did Micah know 700 years before the event, that Jesus, the Messiah, would be born in Bethlehem?
But the prophecies go on..... The Bible describes Christ's family tree. Isaiah 7:14 says, "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel." Immanuel means 'God with us.' A 'virgin' would conceive --- this strange circumstance regarding Christ's birth indicates that He indeed is the Messiah. It caused men to mock Him, to ridicule Him, because Mary did not have a husband at the time of His conception. But this is one of the greatest evidences of Christ's divinity, because Jesus was not conceived humanly or biologically by man. He was conceived of the Holy Spirit. He is the Godman born in the womb of Mary, miraculously conceived by the Holy Spirit! Remember that Mary was perplexed, but the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and said, in Luke 1:28-31, "Then the angel said to her, .....you will be with child and give birth to a Son, and you are to give him the name Jesus," Savior, Redeemer --- 'Jesus,' the most lovely name in all the universe. The angel appeared to Joseph and told him, 'Don't put Mary away, don't walk away from her because you want to avoid public shame for you and for her and the child. This thing is done of God, of the Holy Ghost.'
Jesus, the Messiah, born in Bethlehem --- Micah predicted it 700 years in advance. Jesus, born of a virgin --- Isaiah predicted it six centuries before Christ. The shepherds knew who Jesus was, because the angels sang as they announced His birth, "Glory to God in the highest."
More than a good man, more than an ethical philosopher, more than a righteous teacher, He is divine, He is the Son of God. He stands out head and shoulders above every false messiah. In fact, Moses wrote in the book of Numbers about the star that would lead the wise men to Christ's birthplace; Numbers 24:17 says, "There shall come a Star out of Jacob." The star that led the wise men was predicted to do that very thing 1500 years in advance, when Moses wrote in the desert of Midian.
Yes, these prophecies are exact, so that you and I will have no doubt that Christ is the Messiah, the Son of God, not some guru, not some New Age philosopher, not somebody with gushy-mushy sentimental love. Jesus demands allegiance. Jesus demands our hearts, our souls, the very innermost of our beings. Wise men came and gave their lives to Him then, and wise men still seek Him. They came with their gold, with their frankincense and their myrrh. They came with the gift of their hearts, and we come, too, to kneel before that Christ and to give Him our lives again today, because He is the Messiah. He is the Savior. Jesus' life reveals His identity. The prophet Isaiah outlined events that would occur in the very life of Christ. He outlined those events hundreds of years in advance. He said, "The Lord has annointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor." Jesus did preach good tidings to those who were condemned in sin. He lifted the burden of guilt, and He took away their heartache and sorrow. He gave them forgiveness, and He healed the broken hearted, those who had lost loved ones by death. Jesus raised the dead. The Bible said that He would come to 'proclaim liberty to the captives,' those captive by sin and sickness and disease. Jesus delivered them. He would open the prison for those who were bound, such as the demoniacs bound by demons. Jesus opened the prison, He proclaimed the acceptable year of the Lord, and He comforted those who mourned. Indeed, Christ fulfilled Isaiah's prophecies. He touched the eyes of the blind, and they were opened. He healed the sick, and every place that Jesus went, He brought life and health and healing through the crowds. He, indeed, was the Messiah of the world.
How could Jesus claim to have forgiven sin if He was not the Messiah? Only God can forgive sin, and Jesus, the Godman, had the privilege and prerogative of the Father to forgive sin. If Jesus is not the Messiah, He must have been a blasphemer, because no human being can forgive sin. Jesus healed, Jesus forgave. Men and women come to him today and find forgiveness as well. And Jesus raised men and women from the dead. Think of Lazarus.....Mary and Martha's brother had died. Jesus often found quiet rest at the home of Mary and Martha, and there Lazarus had died and had been in the grave for four days. Jesus went to that grave, and said, "Lazarus, Lazarus, come forth!"
If Jesus is not the Messiah, how can He raise the dead? If Jesus is not the Messiah, how did He have power over the grave? He healed, He forgave, He reached out in love, He raised the dead. Christ, indeed, was more than a good man, more than an ethical philosopher. Yes, in that triumphal entry when Jesus came to Jerusalem, the crowds sensed who He was. The crowds knew who He was at that time. They sensed that He was more than a good man, more than a moral philosopher, more than an ethical teacher. They said, "Hosanna, hosanna, glory to God in the highest!" He had healed the sick, He had forgiven sin, He had raised the dead, He had lifted them off beds of illness. Jesus, the Messiah, was among them, and before their false religious leaders deceived them, they recognized it. Indeed, friend, prophecies fulfilled are like pieces in the puzzle. They fit Jesus!
More than forty prophecies were fulfilled at the end of Christ's life. They focus on the last twenty-four hours of Christ's life, during His last days in Jerusalem. In fact, when Jesus was celebrating the supper that we call the 'last,' a 1000-year-old prophecy written in Psalm 41:9 says this, "Even My close friend"..... now notice that it would be a close friend who would betray Jesus....."in whom I trusted, who shared My bread, has lifted up his heel against Me." How did the psalmist, David, a thousand years in advance, know that it would be a friend who would betray Jesus, and not an enemy? When Jesus was betrayed by Judas in the garden, Jesus said, "Friend, why have you come?" (Matthew 26:50) and "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?" (Luke 22:48) Indeed, David, the psalmist, was right.
Micah predicted 700 years in advance that Bethlehem would be the birthplace. Isaiah said He would be born of a virgin. Moses said that a star would guide the wise men. Isaiah said that He would open blind eyes and unstop deaf ears, He would heal the sick and raise the dead and forgive sins. David, the psalmist, said a friend would betray Christ.
Our lectures talk about 'Discoveries In Prophecy,' and the greatest discovery in prophecy anybody could make is not about the beast, but about Jesus Christ, my friend. And to discover Him as the Messiah is to find the fulfillment of your dreams, the fulfillment of your hopes. It is to find the One to whom all of the world looks, as the desire of all nations. Judas betrayed Him as the Bible predicted. Prophecies came to their fulfillment in the last moments of His life. Listen to this amazing prophecy in Zechariah 11:12-3 --- notice the complexity and precision and accuracy of this prophecy: "So they weighed out for my price thirty pieces of silver." Now notice so far two aspects: not gold but silver, not twenty-five pieces but thirty. How much was Jesus sold for?.....what?.....for exactly thirty pieces of silver, just as the prophet Zechariah predicted hundreds of years in advance. "So I took the thirty pieces of silver and cast them....." (notice I didn't 'take' them, I didn't 'place' them)....."I cast them," the prophecy said, "to the potter in the house of the Lord."
It was Judas who sold out the Messiah 'cheap,' and the exact amount is foretold --- thirty pieces of silver. The result was that Judas found that blood money too heavy to hold. Then in agony and despair, Judas came to the temple, threw the blood money on the floor, and, as it echoed and reechoed throughout the temple, Judas said,"I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." I've sinned!" and ran screaming from the temple. Then the money was used by the priests to buy a potter's field as a burial place outside of Jerusalem. Matthew 27:5,7 describes the fulfillment of that prophecy which Zechariah predicted hundreds of years in advance. Matthew recorded its fulfillment: "And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed.....And they took counsel and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in." Zechariah predicted it hundred of years in advance, and Matthew recorded its fulfillment. The prophecy was fulfilled exactly and minutely and specifically.
Jesus is more than a good man. Jesus is not just some New Age guru, not just some philosopher. Jesus is the divine Son of God, and He commands your allegiance. And the truth of the matter is that, in the last days of earth's history, everybody will give allegiance to Jesus or allegiance to the beast. Everybody will be on one side or the other. You may not have made a decision for Christ tonight, or you may have drifted away from Christ, but you are headed to give your allegiance to the beast and to accept the false messiah, unless you accept the true Messiah! There will be a line drawn in the sand. Oh, friend of mine, the evidence is that He, Christ, is the true Messiah.
The psalmist, David, along with Isaiah, the prophet, offer amazing prophecies. Look at this prophecy --- Isaiah says, "I offered My back to those who beat Me, My cheeks to those who pulled out My beard....." (Isaiah 50:6) ".....I did not hide My face from mocking and spitting." Isaiah, the prophet, hundreds of years in advance, said that Jesus would be whipped, that His back would be lacerated and torn apart. Isaiah said that the wicked soldiers would spin Him around blindfolded, that they would pull out His beard and spit in His face and say, 'Who struck you?" Imagine this scene: strongarmed Roman soldiers, with leather whips embedded with steel and bone, approach the Son of God. He is stripped to the waist, and with a snap of the whip, strongarmed Roman soldiers lash His back. The metal embeds in the flesh, and they yank the whip back pulling out hunks of flesh. Who is this who suffers so? Who is this with the bruised back? Who is this with the bloody brow? Who is this with the look of agony on His face? Who is this who suffers and dies? He is Jesus, the divine Son of God, the One who tabernacled in human flesh, the One who came to pay the penalty for your sin and mine.....the Messiah.
Prophets foretold it, and He came on time, was born in the right place, was born of a virgin, lived a life of healing and love and forgiveness and power. He died as predicted in the ancient prophecies of scripture. Indeed, He is more than a martyr dying for a good cause. Indeed, He is more than a guru who has a cause to believe in. Indeed, He is the Son of God with pierced hands. The Bible says, in Psalm 22:16 (read it with me please): "They pierced My hands and My feet."
Crucifixion was not introduced until the days of Rome. In fact, in the days of David, crucifixion was not known. Crucifixion was used about 150 years before Christ, and Constantine, 350 years after Christ, did away with it. You will remember that the Jewish method of capital punishment was stoning. For instance, the woman cast at Jesus feet, what did they want to do to her?.....what was it?.....stone her. But the Bible says that they.....what's that next word?....."pierced.....My hands and feet."! How did David in the Psalms know that Christ's hands and feet would be pierced? Because the Holy Spirit revealed it to him for you and for me, to leave no doubt in our minds that Christ is our Messiah. Zechariah 12:10 says, "They will look on Me whom they have pierced."
Christ's hands were pierced. Christ's side was pierced. Christ was pierced for you, for me. The blood that flowed from His hands, the blood that ran from His side was to heal my sinsick soul. He died the death that I deserved to die. I deserved to die, to go into the grave, never ever, ever to come out. I deserve to be lost, not for a short time but for eternity, because the wages of sin is..... what, everybody?.....death! But Christ suffered the curse. Christ died the death, more than a martyr, more than a good man, more than somebody dying for a cause, He died for your sins and for mine.
Notice the precision of this prophecy in Psalm 22:18, written 1000 years in advance: "They divided My garments among them, and for My clothing do they cast lots." Why is this prophecy so precise? Notice that it said "they divided my garments." Jesus had a few meager belongings, which the soldiers divided amongst themselves, but to divide His robe would be to destroy it, so they cast lots for it. You know there is some archeological evidence that the Roman soldiers did cast lots. You're looking at the Via Dolorosa, the 'way of the cross' in Israel.....and you're looking at an inscription of a game, which is etched in the side walk like a child would etch hopscotch in the sidewalk. This is a dice game that the Roman soldiers played when they cast lots.
Why is the prophecy so precise? Why has God left such evidence?
So any inquiring mind, so any intelligent rational being trying to make his way through the confusion and perplexity of this world, trying to weave his way through the false prophets and false messiahs and all the literature that comes, would know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus stands above them all as the world's true Messiah, the Christ who walked Golgotha's hill, the Christ who was nailed to Golgotha's cross.....that Christ hung between heaven and earth so He could take you from earth to heaven.
The thief said, "Remember me when you come into Your kingdom." And tens of thousands and millions of men and women cry out to him, "Lord, remember me when you come into Your kingdom." Look at this prophecy, friends..... Psalm 34:20, read it with me please: "He guards all His bones, not one of them is broken." Would Jesus' bones be crushed or broken on the cross? .....yes or no?.....not at all. Do you remember what the Bible says? There were three crosses on that hill: two thieves, one crucified on one side of Christ and the other crucified on the other side of Christ. And the Bible says that they went to the first thief and found that he wasn't dead, so they broke his bones, and they went to the second thief and found --- well, let's read it: "Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him." Did they break the legs of both thieves? Did they do that? Now notice what the Bible says: "But when they came to".....whom? .....to "Jesus and saw that He was".....what?....."already dead, they".....what didn't they do?....."did not break His legs." John, 19:32,33. David, the psalmist, a thousand years before said that Christ's legs would not be broken, and they were not broken. How could David, the psalmist, have known that?
How could Micah have known that He would be born in Bethlehem, 700 years in advance? How could Moses have known that the wise men would be guided by a star 1500 years in advance? How could David have known that they would pierce His hands, before they even had crucifixion? How could he have known that Christ's bones would not be broken? How could Isaiah have known that Jesus would be born of a virgin?
The Bible is not a common book. It was inspired by the Holy Spirit. It is because Jesus is not a common man, not an ordinary man. He is the true Messiah of the world. Yes, when He hung on the cross, He died for you and me, and millions have come to that cross. A thief said "Lord, remember me when you come into Your kingdom." That thief was forgiven. Mary sat at the foot of the cross.....she had had seven husbands but she stood there a whole, pure, and forgiven woman. Simon of Cyrene came from Africa. Men and women from all nations come to the cross. There is no prejudice or partiality at the foot of the cross. A hard-hearted Roman soldier came to the foot of the cross. Jews came, Greeks came, Romans came, men came, women came, children came, peasants came, fishermen came, farmers came, the educated came, the uneducated came, the blind came, the lame came, the halt came, the sick came.....they came to the cross, and at that cross, they didn't come merely to hear some philosopher spout off some nice theories. They came for eternal life. They came for salvation, they came for redemption, and they found it in Christ.
Most biographies end at the death of the hero of the story. But when Jesus came from the cross and when His broken, bruised, battered and bloody body was put in the tomb, He came forth alive on Sunday morning. The Bible says in John 11:25, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live." Jesus came forth from the tomb, when the Father said, "Thy Father calleth Thee." The grave of Christ is empty. Jesus is alive, and because He is alive, you can be alive in the end time. Because He is alive, because He came out of the grave, because He is divine, because He is more than some New Age guru-philosopher, because He is more than an eastern mystic who wants to teach meditation, because He is more than a historian, because He is more than some brilliant expositor-educator, because Christ is divine, if you go into the tomb, if you go into the grave before His coming, you can be alive at the end time because Christ is the 'first fruits' from the dead. He is the beginning and the ending, the Alpha and the Omega. He is resurrected from the dead, and because He rose, you can rise again. I'd rather put my faith in the divine Son of God, in the Messiah of the world, than in some guru, some philosopher, some false messiah.
Joan put her faith in this Christ. She loved Him with all her heart. She was a simple Christian, a dignified lady. Oh, Joan didn't have a great deal of education, but she loved Jesus. She did the best she could to bring her son, Stevie, up to know Jesus. Her husband, Jed, never made a commitment to Christ.....work was his God. He worked eight hours, ten hours, twelve hours a day. He thought he was too intelligent for Jesus. He thought that he was pretty self-sufficient. He didn't need Jesus. He knew that he was bright, sharp, and intelligent, and that he could get ahead in life. He didn't feel that he needed Jesus at all. Very often, though, he couldn't control his temper. He got angry with his employees, and he got angry with Joan. On more than one occasion, Jed would come home and slap Joan across the face, and say, "I told you I have a business meeting tonight! Get my supper ready and get it ready now!"
One night when Jed came home, little Stevie's cars were on the living room floor. Jed was rushing home for supper. He was late for a business meeting, and he had come home just for a few moments to gulp some food down and take off, and when he saw little Stevie's toys on the floor, he crushed the cars with his foot and said, "Stevie, get those".....and he used some terrible curse words....."things out of here!" Stevie began crying, and Jed became impatient and gave him a hard slap. And when Jed came home after that night, his little son would run to his mother and say, "Mama, I'm afraid of daddy! Mama, you're so kind to me, and you love me, but daddy hits me and daddy hits you. And Mama, the other night, when daddy went back to work, why were you crying? Mama, why is that black under your eye, Mama? Did daddy hit you again, Mama?" Joan tried to do the best she could, but little Stevie learned to hate his father.
One evening as Jed came in, he overheard Stevie say to Joan, "Mama, I'm so afraid of Daddy, do I have to see him tonight?" That night Jed didn't go to bed as he normally did, or go back to any business meetings. He simply sat there in his chair and thought about his own childhood, that he had been brought up in the church and had drifted away from God. He thought about how he was treating his wife and his little boy. He thought about how his temper was out of control and how his life was out of control. He thought about the fact that he needed a change in his life. He needed power in his life. He needed forgiveness and mercy in his life.
And that night, Jed knelt down by his old chair, and he said, "Lord, I've wandered far away from You, but tonight I'm coming home. Lord, I've drifted away from You, but tonight I'm coming back. Lord, if you'll have me, I'm coming back. Lord, forgive me tonight. Lord, take all my guilt away. And Lord, I thought I was strong, that I had my life under control, but in the pit of my stomach, there's something missing. Lord, unless You help me, I can't control my temper. Lord, unless You help me, I can't control my drinking. Lord, unless You help me, I can't control my life." That night, Jed experienced the truth and the miracle, through Christ who forgives. Oh, sure, Jed still had some bad habits after that night. Sure, Jed still occasionally got upset. No, Jed didn't become perfect that night, but that night Jed heard Jesus knocking on the door of his life. And Jesus said, in Revelation 3:20, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock." Jesus is more than a good man. Jesus is more than an ethical philosopher. Jesus is more than some righteous teacher. He's more than some eastern mystic. He's more than some guru. Jesus is the divine Son of God. He died so you could live and have eternal life. He died so your sins can be forgiven. He died so your guilt could be gone. He died so you could live in heaven forever.
And this Christ has burst the bonds of the tomb. This Christ has unlocked the door of death, and He can enable you to live in heaven forever. And this living, all-powerful Christ can come into your life, and He can change you tonight. You can have a turn in your life, a new direction in your life tonight. You can start a new path in your life tonight. Tonight can be the night which you begin again fresh, clean and new. You know you're not happy with the way you are living. You know that there are things in your life not in harmony with God. You know deep down in your heart that you wish you were a new person. You need not raise your hand, or stand, or come forward to this altar, but tonight in your seat, you can bow your head.....tonight, as John and Jocelyn sing, in a private moment with God.....forget about this audience.
There are people in Romania tonight --- for the first time, you are going to open your hearts to this Christ.....thousands of you. There are people in Poland tonight --- for the first time, you are going to open your hearts to this Christ. There are people in Hungary tonight --- for the first time, you're going to open your hearts to this Christ. All over Europe, people in Germany tonight..... Sir, you thought you had it all together......Ma'am, you thought you had it all together. But there's something missing in your life, and, tonight you are opening it to Christ, for His forgiveness and mercy and power. And tonight, here in North America, British Columbia, here up in Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland, Ontario, all across that greatcountry of Canada, I just know that you're saying, "Lord, I want to come home." Here in the United States, from the east to the west and from the north to the south, you're saying, "Lord, I'm coming back tonight. I've drifted away, but I'm coming back." Or maybe you've never accepted Him, but
you're coming tonight. He can give you mercy tonight. He can give you salvation and eternal life tonight. He can change your life, so why not bow your head right now? As John and Jocelyn sing, "I've wandered far away from God, but now I'm coming home."
Tonight, as we pray in the quietness, it's time to come home. You've drifted long enough. You've wandered long enough. Home is at the heart of God, at the foot of the cross. Home is giving your life to Jesus. Tonight, as we pray, in the quietness of your heart, would you like to say, "Jesus, I'm coming home"? In the quietness of your heart, would you like to say, "Lord, I can't do it myself. My heart is prone to wander. I'm prone to temptation. I'm so weak"? If you are weak, He is strong. If you are frail, He is mighty. Where temptation is great, the grace of God is greater. But, friend, He can't help you, unless you let Him. He can't take your life, unless you give it to Him. Tonight, as we pray, will you not do that? Say, "Jesus, I'm coming home."
"Oh, my Father, we thank You that Jesus is the Messiah of the world, the true Christ, and not the false christ. Thank You that we can come home, that tens of thousands tonight are coming home to the heart of God, that tens of thousands tonight are giving their lives to You. Burdens are lifted. Guilt is gone. Oh, Father, where we are weak, make us strong, and grant to us Your power tonight and send us from this place singing Your praises. In Christ's name, Amen."
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