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Advent HOPE Sabbath School

Jim Ayer

Flying Over at 30,000 Feet

You know, our radio programs get into areas where missionaries just can't go.

1 lady was tuning the BBC News, and we actually set a lot of our frequencies as close as we can to the BBC News on purpose.

Tuning to the news, she comes across our program, hears about Jesus, says, who is this Jesus?

She runs into her bedroom, turns off the light, gets under her covers and listens because it's illegal.

She does this every single night and soon she falls in love with Jesus.

She accepts the Lord into her life and she's so excited about it.

But then the Holy Spirit says, tell your father.

Oh Lord, I can't tell my father, he'll kill me or at the very least he'll throw me out of the house.

Tell your father, you know how the Holy Spirit is, tell your father.

Well, she finally says, okay Lord, I'm willing to die.

She tells him the whole story and then she backs up a little bit.

And then maybe just kind of like you a little bit, the corners of his lips turn up a little.

Honey, I too have been listening to that program.

I accepted Jesus, and I was too scared to tell you.

That's the kind of thing that God is doing around the world on a mighty way.

So I hope you come this afternoon and hear a lot more stories.

How many of you have flown on an airplane?

Flying over 30, 000 feet sometimes is higher, but at 30, 000 feet, you know, it's an amazing view.

I hate window seats usually, but on a short flight, it's okay.

I like the aisle so I can get up and move around.

I'm on the road 160 days or so a year, and they're on in the air, whatever.

But I love sometimes just looking out, you know, it's such a different view.

When you're down at a mighty dam, you know, you look up at those massive columns of cement and it's an interesting view, but when you're flying over the top of it, you can look down at the dam and you can see the lake and you can see all the mountains that surround it and the vegetation.

It's a whole different scenario, isn't it?

And so today I want to fly you over rapidly since Addison told me I have to.

I've got to fly rapidly over this area of Matthew, chapters 5 through 10, 6 chapters we're going to cover in the next short amount of time here.

Jesus, sitting there overlooking the Sea of Galilee, I've been in that area and those grassy slopes, it's a beautiful view.

When the sun is shining and it feels so wonderful out and there's Jesus with crowds of thousands of people overlooking that gorgeous area.

He begins sharing with them, verse 3, �Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God.

Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled.

And he continues on all the way down through verse 11.

A radical change over the thinking of the day.

You see, the gospel pronounces blessings on certain life directions.

Far different from what the world has thought about the source of happiness, far different from what the church of the day really thought about the source of happiness.

See people suppose that happiness is found in mirth and in wealth and honor and esteem and being the best in the marketplace and with their long robes, their flowing robes and flaunting their Christianity as it were.

But Christ says is to be found in the reverse.

In the reverse, often people are most happy in poverty and sickness and in trial and persecution.

Wow, I had a friend many years ago, Larry Bassett.

He and I were always in competition and everything in sports and in academics The only problem is Larry was taller than I was he was better-looking than I was he was smarter than I was and he wanted Everything it was just absolutely everything.

Although I always tried and Larry got a scholarship a basketball scholarship to a university went off to that University and there through Campus Crusade for Christ, he met Jesus, he gave his life to Christ, and shortly after that, he contracted multiple sclerosis.

And I would visit Larry in the rest home, and I'd play my guitar, and I'd sing songs to him, because by that time, I'd given my life to Christ, and I was a Christian.

And I would sing, and I'd share with him.

And I asked him 1 day, I said, Larry, you know, tell me your story.

And he shared his story and he said, you know, he said, he said, I don't think I would have gotten MS if I hadn't accepted Christ.

He said, I know the devil slammed me with it.

Shortly after that, he died, but you see, He had a heart that was given to Jesus Christ, a whole new outlook on life, a whole different direction.

Then we get to verse 12, "...rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven.

For so persecuted they the prophets which were before you." Wow.

If you follow the path of the prophets, if you follow the path of Jesus Christ, you're going to be persecuted.

If you're not hated, if there's somebody that doesn't maybe have a problem with you because of your religion, maybe you're not doing what you need to be doing.

Verse 20, all the way down to verse 20 here, for I say unto you that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees, you shall in no case enter the kingdom of heaven.

I mean they're the leaders of the church.

They're so upstanding and you're saying that my righteousness has to be more than theirs?

Because everybody's been looking on the outside, now Christ moves to the inside.

He moves from the outward, all this has been kind of on the outward, Now he moves to the inward.

Verse 21, you've heard it said of them of old that thou shalt not kill, and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment.

But I say unto you that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of judgment.

You've heard that it was said of them of old that thou shalt not commit adultery.

But I say unto you that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery already in his heart." Boy, now he has everybody's attention big time.

I've gotta pause here, because this is a major problem today.

I was at a meeting with probably 100 pastors.

1 pastor, the conference president, had given him permission to share his story.

And he said, I had got hooked on pornography on the internet.

It almost ruined my ministry, my marriage, my family, my life.

I barely got out of it by the grace of God.

And I looked around that room and I could tell by the looks of people there, it was a lot more than just him who had or was having problems.

Brothers and sisters, this is a tremendous problem in the church today.

We don't talk about it much, we don't say much about it, but it is devastating our people.

It is devastating our people and unless you have that grip on Jesus Christ every moment of every day, the devil will find you in your house, in the secrecy of your home, somehow through the internet, through whatever means, but I pray that you turn away.

You turn away because it will, I underscore, it will destroy you.

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Flying Over at 30,000 Feet

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