WEBVTT 00:00:00.560 --> 00:00:10.179 Psalm 18 and verse 2. The Lord is my rock and 00:00:10.179 --> 00:00:16.219 my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock 00:00:16.219 --> 00:00:20.160 in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn 00:00:20.160 --> 00:00:25.379 of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the 00:00:25.379 --> 00:00:29.960 Lord who is worthy to be praised and I am saved. 00:00:30.170 --> 00:00:34.350 from my enemies. And then just quickly into the 00:00:34.350 --> 00:00:38.630 New Testament to Romans chapter 11, where we 00:00:38.630 --> 00:00:42.969 see that this same word, deliverer, is used of 00:00:42.969 --> 00:00:47.270 God in the 26th verse, quoting here from the 00:00:47.270 --> 00:00:50.950 Old Testament, the book of Isaiah chapter 59, 00:00:52.770 --> 00:00:57.420 and thus all Israel will be saved. writes the 00:00:57.420 --> 00:01:00.880 Apostle Paul, speaking about that future restoration 00:01:00.880 --> 00:01:04.540 of the nation of Israel, prophetically. Just 00:01:04.540 --> 00:01:09.159 as it is written, he says, the Deliverer will 00:01:09.159 --> 00:01:13.540 come from Zion, he will remove ungodliness from 00:01:13.540 --> 00:01:17.379 Jacob. Tonight we are looking at this theme, 00:01:17.439 --> 00:01:21.680 the Lord our Deliverer. This is not a very difficult 00:01:21.680 --> 00:01:25.680 idea, is it? In fact, it's a very simple one. 00:01:26.829 --> 00:01:31.430 The word deliverer in the Hebrew comes from a 00:01:31.430 --> 00:01:37.010 verb in the Hebrew which means to escape or to 00:01:37.010 --> 00:01:40.269 effect or to provide release for something or 00:01:40.269 --> 00:01:46.629 someone. And here the Greek word deliverer in 00:01:46.629 --> 00:01:49.810 the New Testament comes from a verb that means 00:01:49.810 --> 00:01:56.319 to draw to oneself or to rescue someone. Now 00:01:56.319 --> 00:01:59.340 as you see, this is a quotation from the Old 00:01:59.340 --> 00:02:01.400 Testament, and if you look at the Old Testament 00:02:01.400 --> 00:02:05.900 reference in Isaiah, you find instead of deliverer 00:02:05.900 --> 00:02:11.120 there, the Hebrew word is redeemer. So there's 00:02:11.120 --> 00:02:16.819 a close association between the titles deliverer 00:02:16.819 --> 00:02:20.860 and redeemer. When we think of the word redeemer 00:02:20.860 --> 00:02:24.659 in the Old Testament sense, we think of the kinsmen. 00:02:24.750 --> 00:02:29.949 redeemer, that near relative who had certain 00:02:29.949 --> 00:02:32.930 responsibilities to fulfill under the Old Testament 00:02:32.930 --> 00:02:37.750 economy or order of things. A kinsman redeemer 00:02:37.750 --> 00:02:42.370 might be responsible to save the property of 00:02:42.370 --> 00:02:45.490 a near relative of his. That is, to deliver that 00:02:45.490 --> 00:02:47.849 property, to rescue it and bring it back into 00:02:47.849 --> 00:02:53.389 the family. Or he might be responsible to take 00:02:53.389 --> 00:02:57.110 his brother's wife, if his brother had died, 00:02:57.150 --> 00:03:00.409 and if she were childless, so that his brother 00:03:00.409 --> 00:03:03.849 might have seed, and she and he, though dead, 00:03:04.330 --> 00:03:09.430 would be delivered from barrenness. So a kinsman 00:03:09.430 --> 00:03:13.830 -redeemer had certain responsibilities to deliver 00:03:13.830 --> 00:03:17.469 in the Old Testament. Of course, in the New Testament, 00:03:17.650 --> 00:03:21.340 the word has, this basic picture has to do with 00:03:21.340 --> 00:03:26.840 the slave market, where a redeemer or a deliverer 00:03:26.840 --> 00:03:31.560 would purchase a slave on the market, take him 00:03:31.560 --> 00:03:34.639 out of the slave market and set him free, and 00:03:34.639 --> 00:03:38.180 so deliver him from bondage. So all of those 00:03:38.180 --> 00:03:41.419 pictures and ideas are involved as we think of 00:03:41.419 --> 00:03:45.219 the Lord our deliverer. We admire those, don't 00:03:45.219 --> 00:03:47.740 we, who deliver others from peril or danger. 00:03:47.919 --> 00:03:51.539 Why is that? Well, it's because they place their 00:03:51.539 --> 00:03:54.520 own lives, their own well -being in jeopardy 00:03:54.520 --> 00:03:57.580 in order to deliver another person, to provide 00:03:57.580 --> 00:04:02.680 release, to provide escape for them. Most of 00:04:02.680 --> 00:04:05.599 us would remember the incident of little Jessica 00:04:05.599 --> 00:04:09.280 McClure down in Texas who fell into that well 00:04:09.280 --> 00:04:13.020 a couple of years ago. And little Jessica was 00:04:13.020 --> 00:04:16.899 trapped there. She was doomed. There was no way 00:04:16.899 --> 00:04:20.160 that she could escape it on her own. But there 00:04:20.160 --> 00:04:22.899 were some very brave, courageous, and strong 00:04:22.899 --> 00:04:25.939 people in that community who began to dig. And 00:04:25.939 --> 00:04:28.500 the whole nation watched on television as they 00:04:28.500 --> 00:04:31.839 dug down into the ground a parallel shaft and 00:04:31.839 --> 00:04:36.060 then dug across to where she was in the well 00:04:36.060 --> 00:04:39.480 and ultimately, through much effort, delivered 00:04:39.480 --> 00:04:43.829 little Jessica. And the whole nation wept as 00:04:43.829 --> 00:04:46.149 on live television they showed her coming up 00:04:46.149 --> 00:04:49.529 out of that hole where she had been trapped and 00:04:49.529 --> 00:04:53.629 doomed. And we all rejoiced in the deliverance 00:04:53.629 --> 00:04:57.470 of this little girl. And we admired those brave 00:04:57.470 --> 00:05:01.149 people, those heroes who delivered her from that 00:05:01.149 --> 00:05:04.490 situation. Well, that's the idea tonight we're 00:05:04.490 --> 00:05:07.329 looking at as we think of the Lord, our Deliverer. 00:05:07.689 --> 00:05:10.899 The Bible rightly calls him. our deliverer, for 00:05:10.899 --> 00:05:14.959 we too were without hope. We too were doomed 00:05:14.959 --> 00:05:19.759 until our Redeemer, our deliverer, came and rescued 00:05:19.759 --> 00:05:24.040 us. And so we think of this theme, the Lord our 00:05:24.040 --> 00:05:26.139 deliverer. I'd like for us to think tonight in 00:05:26.139 --> 00:05:29.920 some of the ways in which this is true, that 00:05:29.920 --> 00:05:33.839 the Lord is our deliverer. We'll not be able 00:05:33.839 --> 00:05:35.860 to cover all of them, but some of them at least. 00:05:36.620 --> 00:05:38.339 In the first place, would you turn with me to 00:05:38.339 --> 00:05:44.790 Colossians, the first chapter. And we see that 00:05:44.790 --> 00:05:48.730 the Lord is our deliverer, in that He has delivered 00:05:48.730 --> 00:05:55.490 us from the power of darkness. In Colossians 00:05:55.490 --> 00:06:01.790 chapter 1 in verse 12, the apostle says, giving 00:06:01.790 --> 00:06:06.160 thanks to the Father. who has qualified us to 00:06:06.160 --> 00:06:10.160 share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 00:06:11.220 --> 00:06:15.759 For he delivered us from the domain of darkness 00:06:15.759 --> 00:06:19.079 and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved 00:06:19.079 --> 00:06:23.000 Son. We dare never lose sight of the fact that 00:06:23.000 --> 00:06:27.879 there are two kingdoms operating right now in 00:06:27.879 --> 00:06:31.579 this world in which we live. There is the kingdom 00:06:31.579 --> 00:06:34.490 of God, the kingdom of light. the kingdom of 00:06:34.490 --> 00:06:38.649 God's beloved Son. It's not fully revealed as 00:06:38.649 --> 00:06:41.350 it shall be one day, but now in a mysterious 00:06:41.350 --> 00:06:44.990 way, a secret way, it is working in the hearts 00:06:44.990 --> 00:06:49.610 of people. It's very, very real. And then on 00:06:49.610 --> 00:06:52.230 the other hand, there is the kingdom of darkness, 00:06:54.310 --> 00:06:57.370 whose prince is the prince of the power of the 00:06:57.370 --> 00:07:03.329 air. It is the kingdom of evil. It is very real, 00:07:03.370 --> 00:07:06.029 just as real as the other kingdom, the kingdom 00:07:06.029 --> 00:07:10.550 of light. The wonderful truth is that the Lord 00:07:10.550 --> 00:07:13.610 our deliverer has delivered us from the power 00:07:13.610 --> 00:07:15.850 of darkness, we who have believed in the Lord 00:07:15.850 --> 00:07:20.449 Jesus Christ. Satan is the prince of darkness. 00:07:21.449 --> 00:07:24.930 He does not present himself that way. He masquerades 00:07:24.930 --> 00:07:28.610 as an angel of light in many cases, says the 00:07:28.610 --> 00:07:33.259 Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 11, 14. Particularly, 00:07:33.360 --> 00:07:35.959 does he masquerade as an angel of light when 00:07:35.959 --> 00:07:41.800 he masquerades in a religious façade or a mode 00:07:41.800 --> 00:07:49.000 of operation. The devil loves religion. He loves 00:07:49.000 --> 00:07:53.879 religion that excludes the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:07:54.740 --> 00:07:58.379 Any other religion he is very pleased with because 00:07:58.379 --> 00:08:03.930 it placates man. It anesthetizes man to a certain 00:08:03.930 --> 00:08:08.810 extent as to his true condition. And so he deceives 00:08:08.810 --> 00:08:12.329 mankind by religion and he comes across as an 00:08:12.329 --> 00:08:16.949 angel of good, as an angel of light. While all 00:08:16.949 --> 00:08:21.949 the time behind all of that religious fervor 00:08:21.949 --> 00:08:25.850 and apparent good, there is darkness that is 00:08:25.850 --> 00:08:30.740 working. He is a very, very clever angel. and 00:08:30.740 --> 00:08:35.259 being. We who have trusted the Lord Jesus Christ 00:08:35.259 --> 00:08:39.620 have been delivered from this evil being. For 00:08:39.620 --> 00:08:41.960 that moment that we were saved by the grace of 00:08:41.960 --> 00:08:44.600 God, when we called out upon the Lord to save 00:08:44.600 --> 00:08:49.779 us, at that instant a transfer occurred for us, 00:08:50.120 --> 00:08:53.779 and we were brought out of that realm of darkness, 00:08:54.879 --> 00:08:58.700 that domain of the evil one, and we were made 00:08:58.759 --> 00:09:04.279 a part of the kingdom of God's beloved Son. We 00:09:04.279 --> 00:09:08.639 shared at that moment in the realm of light, 00:09:08.820 --> 00:09:12.519 not darkness. I told you this morning that I 00:09:12.519 --> 00:09:15.039 would share an incident that comes out of our 00:09:15.039 --> 00:09:17.419 own congregation that graphically illustrates 00:09:17.419 --> 00:09:21.899 this. We have a wife and mother who attends our 00:09:21.899 --> 00:09:25.240 church. Some of you have heard me tell this story, 00:09:25.360 --> 00:09:27.580 so bear with me as I repeat it. Many of you have 00:09:27.580 --> 00:09:32.879 not heard it. Before she was married, during 00:09:32.879 --> 00:09:36.980 her later adolescence, she came under conviction 00:09:36.980 --> 00:09:41.940 of her sin. She had been involved in drugs, she 00:09:41.940 --> 00:09:46.299 had been involved in a certain sense with occultism, 00:09:47.139 --> 00:09:51.799 and it was present in her family. And she desired 00:09:51.799 --> 00:09:55.950 to be delivered from all of this darkness. in 00:09:55.950 --> 00:09:58.570 which she had been raised and in which she was 00:09:58.570 --> 00:10:03.090 living. And there came a night when she took 00:10:03.090 --> 00:10:08.129 a Bible, God just led her to the Bible, and she 00:10:08.129 --> 00:10:11.409 began to read it and she became aware of the 00:10:11.409 --> 00:10:13.789 fact that what she needed to do was to call out 00:10:13.789 --> 00:10:18.710 upon the Lord to be saved. She was sitting in 00:10:18.710 --> 00:10:22.190 a room all by herself and she said that as she 00:10:22.190 --> 00:10:25.700 became aware of what she needed to do, The light 00:10:25.700 --> 00:10:29.899 bulbs in the room dimmed, and the room became 00:10:29.899 --> 00:10:33.240 darker than it was before. You say, well that 00:10:33.240 --> 00:10:36.200 was just happening in her mind. It may have been 00:10:36.200 --> 00:10:38.659 in her perception, but it was very, very real. 00:10:41.360 --> 00:10:46.000 And she heard voices speaking to her, telling 00:10:46.000 --> 00:10:48.620 her what they would do to her if she called out 00:10:48.620 --> 00:10:52.990 upon the Lord. And there were sounds of barking 00:10:52.990 --> 00:10:58.769 and snarling and growling, just filling her ears 00:10:58.769 --> 00:11:04.029 in the midst of this darkened room. And then 00:11:04.029 --> 00:11:08.090 from within her heart came this cry to God, Oh 00:11:08.090 --> 00:11:14.070 God, help me! Save me! And she said in that instant 00:11:14.070 --> 00:11:18.629 the room flashed with brightness of light. And 00:11:18.629 --> 00:11:21.289 immediately the darkness was gone and the voices 00:11:21.289 --> 00:11:26.309 were all silent. Now I know that there are some 00:11:26.309 --> 00:11:28.629 who hear things like that and they say that is 00:11:28.629 --> 00:11:32.269 all psychological, that's all pretend, and only 00:11:32.269 --> 00:11:35.870 people on drugs have experiences like that. I 00:11:35.870 --> 00:11:38.149 feel sorry for people who say those kinds of 00:11:38.149 --> 00:11:40.570 things. For they're ignorant of what the Bible 00:11:40.570 --> 00:11:44.370 teaches. Or they overlook what the Bible teaches. 00:11:44.950 --> 00:11:47.549 regarding the power of darkness. My friend, it 00:11:47.549 --> 00:11:51.590 is as real as it can be. Last week in the bulletin, 00:11:51.590 --> 00:11:54.809 I think it was then, I recommended to you two 00:11:54.809 --> 00:12:01.590 books by Peretti. This Present Darkness and Piercing 00:12:01.590 --> 00:12:04.570 the Darkness. If you do not have one of those, 00:12:04.690 --> 00:12:07.909 you need to get one or a copy of each of them 00:12:07.909 --> 00:12:12.789 actually and read them. Peretti is able in his 00:12:12.789 --> 00:12:16.750 fiction, in his novel, to teach us a great deal 00:12:16.750 --> 00:12:21.169 regarding the power of darkness and how to experience 00:12:21.169 --> 00:12:25.850 victory, how to pierce the darkness. There will 00:12:25.850 --> 00:12:28.330 be no book that will ever stimulate you to prayer 00:12:28.330 --> 00:12:32.590 any more than that, than those two books, I'll 00:12:32.590 --> 00:12:37.429 guarantee you. When we trust the Lord Jesus Christ, 00:12:37.450 --> 00:12:39.909 my friend, though we may not have had the experience 00:12:39.909 --> 00:12:45.639 of this lady, we nonetheless went through a transferal 00:12:45.639 --> 00:12:49.980 from darkness to light. To me, it is a very sad 00:12:49.980 --> 00:12:53.740 thing that there are pastors today who are of 00:12:53.740 --> 00:12:57.740 our persuasion, our evangelical Bible teaching, 00:12:58.120 --> 00:13:02.100 who deny the realities of Satan's power from 00:13:02.100 --> 00:13:04.220 good seminaries in our land, but who say that 00:13:04.220 --> 00:13:08.279 all of this is just for the first century. I 00:13:08.279 --> 00:13:12.720 fear that they are being deceived. and that one 00:13:12.720 --> 00:13:15.879 day they will have a rude awakening, particularly 00:13:15.879 --> 00:13:19.240 as the age gets more dark. But how wonderful 00:13:19.240 --> 00:13:21.940 it is that the Lord is our deliverer and we, 00:13:22.159 --> 00:13:24.559 by His grace, we have trusted Christ, have been 00:13:24.559 --> 00:13:28.820 delivered from that and are no longer a part 00:13:28.820 --> 00:13:32.120 of, we're no longer citizens in that realm of 00:13:32.120 --> 00:13:36.279 darkness and evil that we once belonged to. He's 00:13:36.279 --> 00:13:40.399 delivered us from the power of darkness. Now 00:13:40.399 --> 00:13:42.659 turn please to Galatians chapter 1 and verse 00:13:42.659 --> 00:13:52.460 4. The Apostle speaks to these Galatians, grace 00:13:52.460 --> 00:13:54.720 to you and peace from God our Father and the 00:13:54.720 --> 00:13:59.740 Lord Jesus Christ who gave himself for our sins 00:13:59.740 --> 00:14:04.259 that he might deliver us out of this present 00:14:04.259 --> 00:14:08.379 evil age according to the will of our God and 00:14:08.379 --> 00:14:12.100 Father. He has delivered us in that he has delivered 00:14:12.100 --> 00:14:17.460 us from the present evil age. The word age here 00:14:17.460 --> 00:14:22.580 refers to an era or a period of indefinite duration 00:14:22.580 --> 00:14:26.440 which is viewed in relation to all that takes 00:14:26.440 --> 00:14:28.879 place in it. In other words, it is a period of 00:14:28.879 --> 00:14:32.820 time that is characterized by certain things 00:14:32.820 --> 00:14:36.299 or in a certain way. Here the apostle calls it 00:14:36.299 --> 00:14:43.610 this present evil time or age. Not only have 00:14:43.610 --> 00:14:48.889 we been delivered from sin and from the realm 00:14:48.889 --> 00:14:53.149 of Satan, but God has delivered us out of the 00:14:53.149 --> 00:14:57.029 present age in which we are still living. We 00:14:57.029 --> 00:15:01.090 are members of the coming age, not the present 00:15:01.090 --> 00:15:05.750 age. God allows us still to live in this present 00:15:05.750 --> 00:15:10.370 evil world. that we might live soberly and righteously 00:15:10.370 --> 00:15:15.370 and godly in Christ Jesus as a testimony to proclaim 00:15:15.370 --> 00:15:18.250 the grace of God. He still has us here. We don't 00:15:18.250 --> 00:15:21.590 belong to this age anymore. We did one time. 00:15:22.669 --> 00:15:25.549 We were characterized just as the way the people 00:15:25.549 --> 00:15:28.129 who are part of the age still are characterized 00:15:28.129 --> 00:15:32.009 tonight. We belong to the now generation, but 00:15:32.009 --> 00:15:38.220 no longer. We belong to the future age. What 00:15:38.220 --> 00:15:41.659 a wonderful thing that is. The word age here 00:15:41.659 --> 00:15:47.000 is very close in thought to the word world in 00:15:47.000 --> 00:15:50.720 the New Testament. But it's a different original 00:15:50.720 --> 00:15:54.779 word. The word world comes from the word cosmos 00:15:54.779 --> 00:15:58.240 and obviously you see the English word cosmos. 00:16:00.200 --> 00:16:02.559 That's the word that John likes to use especially. 00:16:03.000 --> 00:16:06.539 when he tells us, as he does in 1 John 2, 17, 00:16:06.899 --> 00:16:13.000 and the world is passing away, the cosmos, the 00:16:13.000 --> 00:16:17.240 order of things that now exists, that system 00:16:17.240 --> 00:16:21.779 of evil that is behind the flesh and blood that 00:16:21.779 --> 00:16:27.139 we deal with. He says it is even now passing 00:16:27.139 --> 00:16:31.820 away. He was writing in about 95 AD when he said 00:16:31.820 --> 00:16:35.159 that. Even at that time, because of what Christ 00:16:35.159 --> 00:16:39.740 had done sixty or so years earlier on the cross 00:16:39.740 --> 00:16:43.480 and the tomb, the world was passing away. It 00:16:43.480 --> 00:16:47.480 still is today. It doesn't mean that it's over. 00:16:47.879 --> 00:16:50.740 It doesn't mean that it doesn't have any power 00:16:50.740 --> 00:16:52.700 yet, that there's not some things it's going 00:16:52.700 --> 00:16:55.539 to do in the future. But that system is in the 00:16:55.539 --> 00:16:59.159 process of passing away. Though the picture there 00:16:59.159 --> 00:17:02.600 really is a rather nasty one because it refers 00:17:02.600 --> 00:17:07.880 to a body that is decaying, rotting. He says 00:17:07.880 --> 00:17:12.200 the world system, the cosmos around us is right 00:17:12.200 --> 00:17:17.839 now rotting away. It is filled with death and 00:17:17.839 --> 00:17:25.680 decay. It is putrid. It smells. It's something 00:17:25.680 --> 00:17:38.480 like lutefisk. That's the cosmos. He says it's 00:17:38.480 --> 00:17:42.539 passing away. And so he says a couple of verses 00:17:42.539 --> 00:17:48.119 earlier, do not love the world. Don't love that 00:17:48.119 --> 00:17:51.099 which is passing away, which is rotting, which 00:17:51.099 --> 00:17:54.619 is a stench in God's universe. He says you've 00:17:54.619 --> 00:17:58.940 been delivered from all of that. So don't love 00:17:58.940 --> 00:18:02.400 it. God has delivered us from this present evil 00:18:02.400 --> 00:18:05.640 age and from the world that is passing away He 00:18:05.640 --> 00:18:09.740 has made us a part of the world that is coming 00:18:09.740 --> 00:18:16.440 Well, let's go on Hebrews chapter 2 here's another 00:18:16.440 --> 00:18:23.259 way in which he's delivered us I Think John has 00:18:23.259 --> 00:18:29.079 given me a fresh sore throat Hebrews, chapter 00:18:29.079 --> 00:18:34.420 2, verse 14. Since then the children share in 00:18:34.420 --> 00:18:39.579 flesh and blood he himself, that's the son, likewise 00:18:39.579 --> 00:18:44.519 also partook of the same, that through death 00:18:44.519 --> 00:18:47.819 he might render powerless him who had the power 00:18:47.819 --> 00:18:50.079 of death, that is the devil, and might deliver 00:18:50.079 --> 00:18:54.319 those who through fear of death were subject 00:18:54.319 --> 00:18:58.599 to slavery all their lives. The Lord is our deliverer 00:18:58.599 --> 00:19:01.980 in that he has delivered us from the fear of 00:19:01.980 --> 00:19:07.400 death. He came into the world in true humanity. 00:19:08.119 --> 00:19:12.079 That's the Christmas story, isn't it? And he 00:19:12.079 --> 00:19:14.980 came so that he might deliver flesh and blood 00:19:14.980 --> 00:19:20.119 like you and me from the fear of death. That 00:19:20.119 --> 00:19:24.420 is Satan's great tool that he uses to coerce 00:19:24.420 --> 00:19:28.380 and manipulate people. and to hold them in slavery 00:19:28.380 --> 00:19:33.759 to evil, the fear of death. But we who have trusted 00:19:33.759 --> 00:19:36.200 Christ have been delivered from the fear of death. 00:19:36.839 --> 00:19:40.380 Now that doesn't mean that we're excited about 00:19:40.380 --> 00:19:43.819 going through the process of dying. I don't know 00:19:43.819 --> 00:19:46.440 about you, but I'm not very excited about that 00:19:46.440 --> 00:19:52.799 possibility. It doesn't mean that when we become 00:19:52.799 --> 00:19:55.769 ill, we're not going to go to the doctor. or 00:19:55.769 --> 00:19:58.430 we're not going to take medication or have even 00:19:58.430 --> 00:20:02.829 some heroic measures taken perhaps to save us 00:20:02.829 --> 00:20:05.750 from death. Because none of us looks forward 00:20:05.750 --> 00:20:08.529 to the experience of dying, but the point is 00:20:08.529 --> 00:20:14.450 we're no longer afraid of the result of it. For 00:20:14.450 --> 00:20:17.049 we know that when we pass through that experience, 00:20:17.589 --> 00:20:20.789 we know what's on the other side. And even as 00:20:20.789 --> 00:20:23.170 we pass through it, the shepherd is with us. 00:20:25.259 --> 00:20:27.980 This was so graphically illustrated several years 00:20:27.980 --> 00:20:31.299 ago, in fact 20 years ago I suppose now, when 00:20:31.299 --> 00:20:34.599 a fellow in the church where I was working at 00:20:34.599 --> 00:20:37.700 the time out in Washington named Merrill Womack 00:20:37.700 --> 00:20:44.359 shared his testimony. About 1962 or three, something 00:20:44.359 --> 00:20:47.779 like that, Merrill was flying his private plane 00:20:47.779 --> 00:20:51.980 from Northern California back to Spokane to be 00:20:51.980 --> 00:20:55.539 with his family for Thanksgiving. And as he flew 00:20:55.539 --> 00:20:59.440 into Oregon he got into a situation he was not 00:20:59.440 --> 00:21:03.000 comfortable with and so he landed at a very small 00:21:03.000 --> 00:21:08.039 strip and waited out the storm and had the plane 00:21:08.039 --> 00:21:12.000 filled up with gas and decided that the storm 00:21:12.000 --> 00:21:14.039 had broken up enough he wanted to get home the 00:21:14.039 --> 00:21:18.099 next day for Thanksgiving and so he decided to 00:21:18.099 --> 00:21:22.140 take off and rather than take off his jacket 00:21:22.140 --> 00:21:26.250 as he did almost every time he flew. This time 00:21:26.250 --> 00:21:29.730 he left his flight jacket on, got in the plane, 00:21:29.849 --> 00:21:34.170 started the two motors, and took off. But no 00:21:34.170 --> 00:21:36.750 sooner had he just cleared the trees than both 00:21:36.750 --> 00:21:40.049 engines quit. And he knew that all that he could 00:21:40.049 --> 00:21:42.789 do was just pick a couple of trees and try to 00:21:42.789 --> 00:21:46.500 go between them, and that's what he did. And 00:21:46.500 --> 00:21:49.099 as he went through those trees, of course, the 00:21:49.099 --> 00:21:52.359 gas tanks exploded in flames, the whole plane 00:21:52.359 --> 00:21:56.339 burst into a ball of flame, and the plane landed 00:21:56.339 --> 00:21:58.819 in snow that was several feet deep there in the 00:21:58.819 --> 00:22:04.619 mountains of Oregon. With adrenaline strength, 00:22:04.779 --> 00:22:07.279 undoubtedly, he reached down and he tore his 00:22:07.279 --> 00:22:11.180 seat belt in two with his bare hands and rolled 00:22:11.180 --> 00:22:13.700 out the window of the plane that had been knocked 00:22:13.700 --> 00:22:18.500 open. out of the cockpit and into the snow, putting 00:22:18.500 --> 00:22:22.980 out the fire that had consumed his body. And 00:22:22.980 --> 00:22:28.940 then he began to crawl through the snow toward 00:22:28.940 --> 00:22:31.819 the road. Well, the two men at the airport had 00:22:31.819 --> 00:22:34.400 seen his plane go down, so they jumped in their 00:22:34.400 --> 00:22:36.259 truck and they went around the road trying to 00:22:36.259 --> 00:22:38.200 figure out about where the plane was and it wasn't 00:22:38.200 --> 00:22:41.059 long before they found Merrill struggling through 00:22:41.059 --> 00:22:44.259 the snow in shock. burned over almost a hundred 00:22:44.259 --> 00:22:47.559 percent of his body except where his jacket had 00:22:47.559 --> 00:22:51.640 been on. And they had called an ambulance and 00:22:51.640 --> 00:22:53.420 they cared for him as best they could until the 00:22:53.420 --> 00:22:57.960 ambulance got there and Merrill sang hymns all 00:22:57.960 --> 00:23:01.480 the way to the hospital. Never did go unconscious 00:23:01.480 --> 00:23:04.680 until he got to the hospital and was under the 00:23:04.680 --> 00:23:08.799 care of the doctors and was sedated. Well the 00:23:08.799 --> 00:23:11.750 amazing Part of the story is that he lived through 00:23:11.750 --> 00:23:14.769 that, and there was enough skin protected by 00:23:14.769 --> 00:23:18.210 that jacket that he had coincidentally left on, 00:23:18.690 --> 00:23:21.970 that they were able to graft over the burns. 00:23:23.269 --> 00:23:26.769 And if you've ever seen Maryland concert, he 00:23:26.769 --> 00:23:28.589 used to sing around the country quite a bit, 00:23:29.170 --> 00:23:33.349 he's terribly disfigured. A very handsome, and 00:23:33.349 --> 00:23:36.470 to his own admission, a proud man up to that 00:23:36.470 --> 00:23:41.880 point. He... Well, if you saw a picture of him 00:23:41.880 --> 00:23:43.660 in the hospital, which you can see if you get 00:23:43.660 --> 00:23:47.480 his book, I think it's called Tried by Fire or 00:23:47.480 --> 00:23:50.359 Trial of Fire, something like that, his head 00:23:50.359 --> 00:23:53.259 was terribly swelled. It looked like a burned 00:23:53.259 --> 00:23:57.759 marshmallow there on the hospital pillow. It 00:23:57.759 --> 00:24:02.460 was black. And the doctors have done an amazing 00:24:02.460 --> 00:24:06.160 work restoring him. But while he was there in 00:24:06.160 --> 00:24:09.769 the hospital and after he was sedated, Of course, 00:24:09.809 --> 00:24:12.930 his family came. And during that time, several 00:24:12.930 --> 00:24:17.650 days later, he came to a crisis and was dying. 00:24:19.329 --> 00:24:25.349 And he saw himself standing on a hilltop. And 00:24:25.349 --> 00:24:28.970 before him was a green, beautiful, lush meadow. 00:24:30.089 --> 00:24:34.569 And there was a stream flowing. And on the other 00:24:34.569 --> 00:24:39.849 side of the stream he saw what looked like a 00:24:39.849 --> 00:24:46.029 door and there was a bright light shining from 00:24:46.029 --> 00:24:49.430 that door and he felt drawn in that direction. 00:24:50.190 --> 00:24:52.670 He wanted, he felt like he wanted to go there 00:24:52.670 --> 00:24:56.369 and at the stream he saw what looked like a boat 00:24:56.369 --> 00:24:59.410 with someone there to take him across the river. 00:25:00.130 --> 00:25:02.809 And he had the feeling that all he would have 00:25:02.809 --> 00:25:07.119 to do was just walk toward that boat and be taken. 00:25:08.160 --> 00:25:11.140 And yet, at the very same time, he heard in his 00:25:11.140 --> 00:25:15.460 mind his voice being called, Meryl. We love you, 00:25:15.460 --> 00:25:20.279 Meryl. And it was his wife speaking to him. And 00:25:20.279 --> 00:25:24.359 at that point, he was drawn back from what might 00:25:24.359 --> 00:25:28.039 be called a near -death experience. And of course, 00:25:28.039 --> 00:25:30.440 he didn't take the step and walk toward the boat 00:25:30.440 --> 00:25:33.779 and toward the light. But he said, and he says 00:25:33.779 --> 00:25:38.859 this in his testimony, I was not afraid. I was 00:25:38.859 --> 00:25:42.819 not afraid. I knew that the Lord was waiting 00:25:42.819 --> 00:25:46.500 for me. And had I gone on that I would be with 00:25:46.500 --> 00:25:52.539 him, I want to tell you something. Jesus delivers 00:25:52.539 --> 00:25:58.299 us from the fear of death. Now if the Lord tarries, 00:25:58.339 --> 00:26:00.660 I don't know how death is going to come to me, 00:26:00.920 --> 00:26:07.079 or when, nor do you. It may be with a heart attack 00:26:07.079 --> 00:26:11.680 and suddenly we're gone. Or it may be through 00:26:11.680 --> 00:26:16.839 a disease with long months of pain. Maybe it'll 00:26:16.839 --> 00:26:20.339 be in a car accident or some other means. But 00:26:20.339 --> 00:26:22.720 the fact is whether it's a very brief time or 00:26:22.720 --> 00:26:27.200 a protracted time, God gives grace for that. 00:26:29.619 --> 00:26:31.619 Ron Tennell went home to be with the Lord just 00:26:31.619 --> 00:26:37.920 a couple of weeks ago. And in the latter part 00:26:37.920 --> 00:26:42.140 of his suffering, it became very clear that he 00:26:42.140 --> 00:26:44.680 was going to die. The doctor had told him that, 00:26:44.720 --> 00:26:48.579 had told Joyce that, and they had mentally accepted 00:26:48.579 --> 00:26:50.900 it, of course, to the best you can. But he began 00:26:50.900 --> 00:26:56.480 to realize, and God gave him a grace for that 00:26:56.480 --> 00:27:01.400 time. And as he began to be just days away from 00:27:01.400 --> 00:27:07.230 his going to be with Christ, He sort of withdrew. 00:27:07.670 --> 00:27:09.490 Joy shared with me, and I don't think she would 00:27:09.490 --> 00:27:12.289 mind my sharing it with you, that she wondered 00:27:12.289 --> 00:27:16.170 if he was depressed or if he was afraid. And 00:27:16.170 --> 00:27:19.190 so she asked the nurse about it, a nurse who 00:27:19.190 --> 00:27:22.329 had cared for a lot of cancer patients. And the 00:27:22.329 --> 00:27:24.910 nurse said no, that she didn't feel that that 00:27:24.910 --> 00:27:30.549 was the problem, but that rather he was accepting 00:27:30.549 --> 00:27:33.700 the fact that he was going to die. And this was 00:27:33.700 --> 00:27:38.680 his way of withdrawing from his loved ones and 00:27:38.680 --> 00:27:44.859 preparing himself for that experience. But he 00:27:44.859 --> 00:27:48.619 wasn't afraid. He wasn't afraid. And God gave 00:27:48.619 --> 00:27:51.779 him grace and prepared him for that. But that's 00:27:51.779 --> 00:27:54.880 what happens in protracted illness. Well, God 00:27:54.880 --> 00:27:58.779 delivers us from the fear of death. No longer 00:27:58.779 --> 00:28:04.150 are we held enslaved by Satan. to the fear of 00:28:04.150 --> 00:28:08.210 death. God has delivered us. How wonderful to 00:28:08.210 --> 00:28:12.769 have the Lord as a deliverer. Now Elizabeth Kubler 00:28:12.769 --> 00:28:18.289 -Ross and other writers have recorded numerous 00:28:18.289 --> 00:28:23.009 instances, even of non -Christians, who have 00:28:23.009 --> 00:28:25.710 had near -death experiences and often they sense 00:28:25.710 --> 00:28:29.319 being drawn through a tunnel. or being drawn 00:28:29.319 --> 00:28:31.819 toward a light and they say they felt no fear 00:28:31.819 --> 00:28:35.339 that they were accepted by this being for whatever 00:28:35.339 --> 00:28:39.660 they were, and so on. How do we explain that 00:28:39.660 --> 00:28:44.980 with non -Christians, with unsaved people? They 00:28:44.980 --> 00:28:49.059 come back not being afraid to die. Well, I don't 00:28:49.059 --> 00:28:51.700 know all the answers to that, but I would suggest 00:28:51.700 --> 00:28:55.599 this, that Satan can transform himself into an 00:28:55.599 --> 00:29:00.259 angel of light. and would love to deceive a person 00:29:00.259 --> 00:29:04.859 in a near -death experience that he's okay, that 00:29:04.859 --> 00:29:08.160 he's accepted just the way he is in his unbelief, 00:29:08.339 --> 00:29:13.220 or in his atheism, or his evil, and that he need 00:29:13.220 --> 00:29:16.920 not be afraid of death. My friend, that is a 00:29:16.920 --> 00:29:22.319 lie. A person outside of Jesus Christ must surely 00:29:22.319 --> 00:29:28.240 fear death because death leads that person to 00:29:28.240 --> 00:29:33.180 eternal hell. So how like Satan to transform 00:29:33.180 --> 00:29:36.440 himself into an angel of light at that moment 00:29:36.440 --> 00:29:41.200 for the unsaved person, that moment of near -death 00:29:41.200 --> 00:29:46.700 experience to deceive, to make him or her think 00:29:46.700 --> 00:29:49.359 that everything's okay just the way you are. 00:29:50.720 --> 00:29:54.140 But for the Christian it's true. For the Christian 00:29:54.140 --> 00:29:56.920 death has been disarmed and we've been delivered. 00:29:57.700 --> 00:30:00.160 Well, let me just take time to look at one more. 00:30:00.980 --> 00:30:02.480 There are several more we could look at, but 00:30:02.480 --> 00:30:05.640 let's look tonight at 1 Thessalonians 1 .9 in 00:30:05.640 --> 00:30:18.720 closing. 1 Thessalonians 1 .9 and 10. The apostle 00:30:18.720 --> 00:30:21.400 says, for they themselves report about us, what 00:30:21.400 --> 00:30:25.460 kind of a reception we had with you, you Thessalonians. 00:30:25.769 --> 00:30:29.730 and how you turn to God from idols, to serve 00:30:29.730 --> 00:30:32.829 a living and true God, and to wait for his Son 00:30:32.829 --> 00:30:35.609 from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, that 00:30:35.609 --> 00:30:41.750 is Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come." 00:30:41.750 --> 00:30:44.509 Who delivers us from the wrath to come. Now, 00:30:44.630 --> 00:30:51.029 that may very well mean hell. Certainly, as it 00:30:51.029 --> 00:30:54.829 would embrace that thought, it's true. We have 00:30:54.829 --> 00:31:00.250 been already transferred from death to life. 00:31:00.970 --> 00:31:04.690 We've already passed over from condemnation to 00:31:04.690 --> 00:31:08.250 salvation. And God has delivered us from hell, 00:31:08.390 --> 00:31:11.490 praise the Lord. But I believe there's a more 00:31:11.490 --> 00:31:15.589 particular emphasis in this verse because of 00:31:15.589 --> 00:31:18.549 the context of 1 Thessalonians. Every chapter 00:31:18.549 --> 00:31:21.009 ends with some thought about the coming of Christ. 00:31:21.820 --> 00:31:24.839 I believe that he's talking here about that particular 00:31:24.839 --> 00:31:28.779 aspect of God's wrath that we call the tribulation. 00:31:31.599 --> 00:31:34.059 I believe what he's saying here is that God delivers 00:31:34.059 --> 00:31:39.779 us from the wrath that will be poured out upon 00:31:39.779 --> 00:31:43.680 the world at the end of this age, during the 00:31:43.680 --> 00:31:46.740 seven years of the tribulation that will come 00:31:46.740 --> 00:31:49.619 upon the earth. This is no guarantee that we 00:31:49.619 --> 00:31:53.519 will be delivered from suffering. or from persecution 00:31:53.519 --> 00:31:57.980 because we will experience suffering. And there 00:31:57.980 --> 00:32:02.480 may be persecution that will come upon us ever 00:32:02.480 --> 00:32:05.259 so more at the end of the age. But what it says 00:32:05.259 --> 00:32:07.460 here is that we are delivered from the wrath 00:32:07.460 --> 00:32:11.839 to come. I believe this is one verse that supports 00:32:11.839 --> 00:32:14.539 the position of what is called the pre -tribulation 00:32:14.539 --> 00:32:19.000 rapture of the church. That by the grace of God 00:32:19.599 --> 00:32:22.880 He is going to come and catch out, catch away, 00:32:23.099 --> 00:32:26.779 seize his people and deliver us from that time 00:32:26.779 --> 00:32:29.779 of wrath that will be poured out upon mankind, 00:32:30.339 --> 00:32:33.880 unbelieving mankind in the tribulation period. 00:32:35.839 --> 00:32:37.920 And I want to say to you that if you're not reading 00:32:37.920 --> 00:32:41.660 your newspapers with a Bible in one hand these 00:32:41.660 --> 00:32:48.480 days, you're asleep at the switch. If you haven't 00:32:48.480 --> 00:32:50.779 read what's happened in Europe in the last few 00:32:50.779 --> 00:32:55.220 weeks and the meeting of the most popular man 00:32:55.220 --> 00:32:59.200 in the world with the Pope of Rome in the last 00:32:59.200 --> 00:33:03.720 week. If you haven't read about the uniting of 00:33:03.720 --> 00:33:08.099 Europe and the currency that's already printed 00:33:08.099 --> 00:33:12.640 for use beginning in 1992 so that Europe, the 00:33:12.640 --> 00:33:17.200 ten nations of the Common market. Will you economically 00:33:17.200 --> 00:33:20.900 be united in that year? And who knows what the 00:33:20.900 --> 00:33:22.819 speed of things are happening now? Maybe it's 00:33:22.819 --> 00:33:24.819 going to be more than those ten nations. It may 00:33:24.819 --> 00:33:27.720 embrace some of the more progressive Eastern 00:33:27.720 --> 00:33:30.900 Bloc countries. Friend, I want to tell you all 00:33:30.900 --> 00:33:35.779 of this is very significant in prophecy. It has 00:33:35.779 --> 00:33:37.740 made me kind of excited about maybe preaching 00:33:37.740 --> 00:33:41.680 a series of messages from Daniel after the first 00:33:41.680 --> 00:33:45.359 of the year because because that deals so much, 00:33:45.880 --> 00:33:48.200 not only with history, but with current events. 00:33:50.099 --> 00:33:53.519 Well, I believe that what we're seeing is the 00:33:53.519 --> 00:33:57.579 preparation for the end times. We must be alert 00:33:57.579 --> 00:34:00.420 to the fact that our Lord is coming and may come 00:34:00.420 --> 00:34:05.099 at any moment. God is giving us indications. 00:34:06.319 --> 00:34:09.000 I hesitate to use the word signs because there 00:34:09.000 --> 00:34:11.260 are no biblical signs that must occur before 00:34:11.260 --> 00:34:16.159 the rapture. But God is giving us signals that 00:34:16.159 --> 00:34:20.119 are very plain, it seems to me, that the coming 00:34:20.119 --> 00:34:24.239 of Christ may very well be at hand. And we must 00:34:24.239 --> 00:34:28.440 be awake and not sleep in these critical days 00:34:28.440 --> 00:34:31.719 and use the opportunities that God gives to us. 00:34:32.179 --> 00:34:35.559 How wonderful that the Lord is our Deliverer. 00:34:35.900 --> 00:34:39.219 We are living in a day of rapid apostasy and 00:34:39.219 --> 00:34:44.000 falling away in in Christendom. You can hear 00:34:44.000 --> 00:34:46.260 about it tonight on the 10 o 'clock news if you 00:34:46.260 --> 00:34:49.099 want to turn in. I can almost guarantee you there's 00:34:49.099 --> 00:34:51.420 going to be a story. Probably the first story 00:34:51.420 --> 00:34:55.380 is going to help illustrate the apostasy of our 00:34:55.380 --> 00:34:59.400 day. It is the falling away from the gospel of 00:34:59.400 --> 00:35:04.719 Jesus Christ to social and political issues that 00:35:04.719 --> 00:35:07.480 are even tied together with Marxist ideology. 00:35:09.989 --> 00:35:12.389 I wish we had more time to talk about that, maybe 00:35:12.389 --> 00:35:15.769 another occasion. What I'm saying is let's be 00:35:15.769 --> 00:35:18.849 alert and awake and look for the Lord our deliverer 00:35:18.849 --> 00:35:21.210 and recognize that as we go to bed tonight He 00:35:21.210 --> 00:35:23.230 may come tonight and as we get up in the morning 00:35:23.230 --> 00:35:26.190 it could be today and every day that is true 00:35:26.190 --> 00:35:31.849 and one day we will see Him face to face. Let's 00:35:31.849 --> 00:35:41.369 pray. If the Lord should come, are you ready? 00:35:46.070 --> 00:35:51.389 If tonight the trumpet would sound, and the shout 00:35:51.389 --> 00:35:54.550 would be given, and the dead in Christ would 00:35:54.550 --> 00:35:57.389 rise first, and we who are alive and remain should 00:35:57.389 --> 00:36:01.469 be caught up together with them to meet the Lord 00:36:01.469 --> 00:36:11.389 in the clouds, in the air, are you ready? The 00:36:11.389 --> 00:36:14.389 apostle warns us not to allow ourselves to fall 00:36:14.389 --> 00:36:21.650 asleep in the darkness, but to be awake as the 00:36:21.650 --> 00:36:26.730 sons of light. O Lord, I pray that you would 00:36:26.730 --> 00:36:33.550 awaken us from carelessness with the world and 00:36:33.550 --> 00:36:41.440 compromise in our lifestyle. Keep us clean. in 00:36:41.440 --> 00:36:47.840 this evil and dirty age. I pray that we will 00:36:47.840 --> 00:36:51.440 redeem the time, making the most of our opportunities. 00:36:54.619 --> 00:36:59.539 Lord, I pray that when you come, whether it's 00:36:59.539 --> 00:37:06.380 at 7 .15 or tomorrow, but at that time when you 00:37:06.380 --> 00:37:09.860 do come, that we will be among those looking 00:37:09.860 --> 00:37:15.849 for you. ready to go, but also those who are 00:37:15.849 --> 00:37:20.570 busy occupying, doing your work until you do 00:37:20.570 --> 00:37:25.070 appear. Lord, in a day when there are a lot of 00:37:25.070 --> 00:37:28.750 winds blowing, I pray that you will keep us right 00:37:28.750 --> 00:37:35.230 and straight and on target. In a day when there 00:37:35.230 --> 00:37:39.360 are many pressures against the godly, I pray 00:37:39.360 --> 00:37:42.139 that you will give us courage and faith and strength 00:37:42.139 --> 00:37:46.260 to be strong and to follow through. Thank you 00:37:46.260 --> 00:37:49.579 for hearing us and for working to answer this 00:37:49.579 --> 00:37:52.480 prayer for us individually and as a church. In 00:37:52.480 --> 00:37:58.980 Jesus' name, amen. Well, I realize that we've 00:37:58.980 --> 00:38:00.920 only got a couple of minutes before we're supposed 00:38:00.920 --> 00:38:02.539 to be gone, but I would like to take time to 00:38:02.539 --> 00:38:06.659 sing one verse of number 270. It's one of those 00:38:06.659 --> 00:38:09.880 hymns that I think we enjoy singing. We sang 00:38:09.880 --> 00:38:14.320 it a couple of weeks ago. It is Swedish, so that 00:38:14.320 --> 00:38:18.159 should please about half of you. I'm sorry to 00:38:18.159 --> 00:38:36.349 you Norwegians. you have been freed that is delivered. 00:38:37.050 --> 00:38:40.130 That God's unfailing love is yours, that you, 00:38:40.750 --> 00:38:44.030 the only son, were given, that by his death he 00:38:44.030 --> 00:38:46.690 has opened heaven, that you are ransomed as you 00:38:46.690 --> 00:38:50.369 are. If you seem empty of any feeling, rejoice, 00:38:50.929 --> 00:38:55.170 you are his ransomed bride. If those you cherish 00:38:55.170 --> 00:38:58.469 seem not to love you and dark assails from every 00:38:58.469 --> 00:39:02.409 side, still yours the promise, come what may. 00:39:02.679 --> 00:39:06.900 in loss, in triumph, in laughter, crying, in 00:39:06.900 --> 00:39:10.199 want, riches, in living or dying, that you are 00:39:10.199 --> 00:39:12.320 purchased as you are. Let's stand and sing verse 00:39:12.320 --> 00:39:30.389 3, 270. It is a good, every good, transcending, 00:39:30.570 --> 00:39:36.730 that Christ has died for you and me. It is a 00:39:36.730 --> 00:39:42.710 gladness that has no ending, there in God's wondrous 00:39:42.710 --> 00:39:50.159 love to see. Praise be to you, O spotless lamb, 00:39:50.780 --> 00:39:58.639 Who through the desert my soul was leading, To 00:39:58.639 --> 00:40:05.420 that fair city of joy exceeding, For which you 00:40:05.420 --> 00:40:14.219 bought me as I am. And let us go forth rejoicing 00:40:14.219 --> 00:40:17.239 in the Lord our deliverer. Good night and God 00:40:17.239 --> 00:40:17.860 bless you.