Posted January 2, 1999
"WHAT WILL WE SEE?"
I Thessalonians 4:16-17
What do you want to see? A few months ago I made a list of things I'd like to see. I'm not talking about geography. I'm talking about things like this; I'd like to see a revival sweep across America. For years I've been praying, "Lord, send a revival across America." I've heard of pockets of revival in different places, but I've never as of yet experienced an answer to that prayer....but I'm going to keep on praying. I want to see that happen. I'd like to see a revival break out right here in Garrett that would last for at least 30 days. Services every night. Crowds coming. Not concerned about the time, leaving the service every night and saying, "I can hardly wait until tomorrow night." I'd like to see that.
I would like to see some people who are struggling with some sins in their life come to the place where they will repent of those sins and confess those sins and get right with God.
There are some lost people I'm praying for. I want to see them saved. Born again by the Spirit of the living God. I'll tell you something else that I want to see.
I want to see Jesus. I want to see Jesus. Now I want to be honest with you, alright. Don't want to get too carried away here this morning. I'm somewhat like Oliver Wendell Holmes, who once said, "If God were to say to me, 'Oliver! you have 5 minutes to live and then I'm calling you home.'" Oliver Wendell Holmes said, "I would say, 'God, that's okay, but could you make it 10 minutes."
Now most of us want to live as long as we can. Oh, there's times when we get down in the valley of dispair and our mouth becomes full of depression and at those moments we cried in our heart, "Oh Lord, just call me on home." I've been there. I've been there. And then things smooth out and the Spirit of God irons out the wrinkles in your mind. And if you were to experience a sudden pain in your body you would be scared to dead you were going to die. I understand all of that. But in the depths of my heart there is that longing, one day, I want to see Jesus. He's coming! He's coming!
Now I want you to walk with me this morning in the Scripture. This is basicly a scriptural sermon. I want you to walk with me in the Scriptures. When our Lord left this earth nearly 2,000 years ago, just outside the city of Jerusalem on that small mount, standing with Him that day was His disciples & all at once a cloud came. Jesus stepped on that cloud & Jesus moved toward outer space, going back to God His Father. Those disciples stood there, staring, watching that fading figure disappear from the sight of their eyes. When all at once, 2 men, dressed in white apparrel said to them, "Ye men of Gallilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven, this 's-a-m-e' Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as you have seen Him go into heaven."
And from that moment the church has lived on its tip toes, waiting for that "s-a-m-e" Jesus to come again.
Well glory....The message from heaven is [quite], He's coming. Now let's quote some red letter stuff--alright. You know what I'm talking about, don't you. Let's quote some red letter stuff.
Reading John 14:1-3,
Now, I want to be very respectful of any belief that anyone has here this morning...but let me say in kindness, let me say in love....I believe that I've got etenal life, right now!! I got it in the year of our Lord, 1960, when Jesus baptized me into His Spirit. And He says, "I give unto you everlasting life."
I want to ask one question. Is everlasting life temporary or is it everlasting? And I repeat--now some people say, "Preacher, you preach as if you can get saved & live anyway you want to" Now listen carefully---I wish that were true, because if I could live anyway I wanted to I live without SIN. Amen.
Alright, alright....If I could live anyway I wanted to I'd live without sin. "Beloved, now are we the sons of God"
Don't call me a nobody, God called me His son, by His grace by His grace. I may never get thru with that verse. Well, I'm going to get thru it,it's too good to leave hanging.
"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know, [I like that] but we know, that we he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is "
I wish I had the voice of 10,000 rivers to preach His word. That sounded so good let's say it again, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know, that we shall be like him, for ... we ... shall see him, we shall see Jesus as he is."
Alright, alright. One time I was talking to a seminary student, I know you can't tell it, but I did go to seminary at Trinity Theological Seminary, graduated with a four year degree in Theology and now am persueing my Masters. Just wanted to pass that along. I remember one time down in southern Indiana a person came up to me and said, "Preacher, does everybody who gets out of Seminary preach like you preach .....I said, 'ain't no body preaches like I preach.'" Good or bad, we are all different.
When I was growing up in Brazil Indiana, I attended a church that did not believe in educated preachers. So when they found out I was going off to seminary they came to me and said, "brother Art, when you go off to seminary, don't let them steal your fire. I went off to the seminary, I graduated, I came back home, now I'm the only one who shouts."
Listen, "for we shall see him as he is." When I was at the graduation banquet at seminary, I run into a fellow from Louisville. You ask me if I remembered Harry Truman. I said, yes I did, I was in Junior High School when he was president. He said, "Did you know that President Truman came to Louisville, KY. once, maybe more than that, but he made at least one trip to Louisville. And as some of you might know, Mr. Truman liked to get out and walk. It was an exercise for him, he was a walker. And he was staying in some hotel in the downtown area of Louisville, and he got up early of a morning and would take a brisk walk.
And this man told me, that he got up early one morning, got up real early, went down there and stood on the other side of the street so that I could see the president of our country. Beloved, I appreciate men who are willing to serve as presidents, I take nothing away from them, I honor them, I pray for them, but I want to tell you something friend, I'm going to see JESUS one of these days. Now listen, "for the Lord Himself shall decend from heaven, with a shout, with a voice of an arch angel and with the trump of God."
Now, with my sanctified amagination, let me paint this picture for you wonder how it is up in heaven? Gabriel, I believe that angel is licking his lips wanting to blow that trumpet he's ready, umm, he's ready whew, can't you just see it? One day, [clap hands], one day, [clap hands] Our Lord's going to say to Gabriel, "Gabriel, It's time to blow the trumpet." "Looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ." That's what Paul said to Titus in 2:13.
Paul when he came to the end of his life wrote to young Timothy, and he said, "Now Timothy preach the word. Be instent in season, out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all long suffering and doctrine." Then Paul went on to say, "I fought a good fight, I finished the course, I kept the faith, henceforth, there's laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the lord, the righteous Judge, shall give to me at that day." That's sounds good Paul, but what comes later sounds even better. "But not to me only, [laugh] but to everyone that loveth the appearing of the lord." I'm in that.
One of these days the Lord is going to say, "Gabriel, it's time to blow."
Now if my body happens to be over at Summit Lawn Cemetary, between Brazil and Turner, and the Lord has the trumpet to sound, ain't no grave going to hold my body down. When the Lord calls His church, graveyards are going to look like plowed fields.
Can't you see that, Now if I'm alive, when He comes, can't you just see Him....Oh, my soul. With ten thounsand of thousands of His angels, coming on the cloud----He's coming with a shout. I believe He's got one word that He's going to shout out and that's going to be the word ---COME--- And when He says that, this body is going to be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. And I shall be called up, if He were to come right now.
I can do it. [whew---I'm going thru that ceiling, and won't leave a mark on it] Whew, blessed be the name of Jesus--- John, you going with me buddy, amen, Al, you going with me, Rudy you going with me. We are going to go. That'll be the fastest wardrobe change I've ever made.
I'm going to get up there, and I'm going to see Jesus. Now I got to make just a couple more statements. When this vile body is fashioned like unto His own glorious body--this corruptible shall put on incorruption--and this mortal, shall put on immortality---whew, isn't that something---I'm going to get transplanted all over--- whew. Preacher do you really believe that? I really, really do.
I'm going to see Jesus. I've never seen Him as I see you this morning---I've dreamed about Him several times--I've preached about Him for many years---I've prayed to Him over and over. He has shaped my life according to His values--to his standards ---But I've never seen Him. I've never been one of those who have heard Him as I would hear a voice from another human being. Now some people say they have. I do not dispute that, I can only speak out of that which I have heard or not heard.....But one day,.. one day, ...I am going to see this Man...Who has changed my life.
Now, He is coming and the question is, are you ready? You say, "I'm a member of the church" That won't cut it!! OK. Well, you say, "I try to be good to my neighbor." That's good, but that won't cut it.
You say, "Well, I just try to do the best I know how." Your best is not good enough.
Have you asked Jesus Christ to save you? Have you asked Jesus Christ to forgive you of all your sins? Have you asked the Lord to save you?. Have you made a committment -- to live for Him, [whisper] all the days of your life?
If it were possible, that upon arriving in heaven someone might say, "Hey, brother Ferry, I see you made it!" And they were to say, "I knew you would, you were such a good person." I'd say, "That's not why I made it" "I'd knew you would make it, you were a preacher" "That's not why I made it" "I'd knew you would make it, you was always sincere." "That's not why I made it" I made it ... because of Jesus. [pause] (Read the King is Coming #313) The King is coming, [vs.#1] [vs.#2] chorus [vs.#3] praise God, praise God, He's coming for me. Praise God.
If you feel in your heart He's coming for you, will you hold up your hand. Amen. Now put your hands down. If you could not raise that hand---I want you to look to an outstretched hand, reaching out to you, and that's the scared hand of the King...You may not be able to raise your hand to heaven, but He's reaching down to you all the way from Calvary. To touch you, and to take you just as you are, and redeem you of all of your sin.
Our Father, Our Father, Our Father, let this invitation...be that invitation in which we see a parade to Calvary...
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We need to see that this morning...For there are those who need to come---they need to trust in Jesus---they need to trust Him---There's some Christians here, as you well know Father, who struggle with sin.. and they need to turn loose---for the longer they go the more it will wrap itself around them--and the more difficult it's going to be to turn loose
Father, it needs to be done now, it needed to be done yesterday, it needs to be done now, I pray that it will, I pray that it will, prepare us now, let's make that decision now, when that preacher stops praying & they start singing, I'm going to step out, I'm going to come, for if the Lord were to come right now, I don't feel good about where I am and where my life is, I'd like to feel better, before the Lord comes and I need to start now, Father, may that boy, may that girl, may that man, may that woman, resolve in their hearts, that before I leave this place this morning, I'm going to resolve this matter and have peace in my life. I'm not going to fight, I not going to struggle, I'm going to surrender to what I know the Lord wants me to do. I'm going to do it, I'm going to do it.
It's time that we think very seriously aren't you ready? aren't you ready? are you ready to come?
John, I'm going to ask you to just start singing just start singing the rest of you just remain seated for a few moments and as John sings, those of you who need to get up and walk down this aisle, for what ever the reason, I'm going to ask you to come you can start come now come on, just get right up and come on, right now [singing] get up, come on Jesus said, "Take up thy bed and walk" You need to get up and you need to come. #417 "Just as I am"
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