Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee - King’s Heralds He Is Mine - King’s Heralds Be Thou Near - Del Delker Give Me Thy Heart - King’s Heralds

Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee - King’s Heralds He Is Mine - King’s Heralds Be Thou Near - Del Delker Give Me Thy Heart - King’s Heralds

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Voice Of Prophecy

H.M.S. Richards

The Man Who Was Inconvenienced


Lift up the trumpet and loud let it ring, Jesus is coming again. Cheer up you pilgrims, be joyful and sing, Jesus is coming again. This is the voice of prophecy, a voice crying in the wilderness of these modern days. Prepare ye the way of the Lord. Coming again, coming again, Jesus is coming again.

Of the Lord. From our Voice of Prophecy studios in Los Angeles, California, we welcome you to this half hour of inspiration and music with the King's Heralds, Del Delker, Brad Braley, and the Voice of Prophecy speaker, H.M.S. Richards, a Seventh-day Adventist minister. Listen now as the quartet sings a hymn arrangement of a melody by Beethoven. The words by Henry Van Dyke, Joyful, joyful, we adore thee.

Joyful, joyful, we adore thee, God of glory, Lord of love. Hearts unfold like flowers before thee opening to the sun above. Melt the clouds of sin and sadness. Drive the dark of doubt away. Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day.

All thy works with joys surround thee, earth and heaven reflect thy rays. Stars and angels sing around thee, center of unbroken praise. Field and forest, vale and mountain, flowery meadow, flashing sea, chanting bird and flowing fountain, call us to rejoice in thee. Our Father in Heaven, we pray today for all our listeners in Australia, New Zealand, North and South America, in Asia, the islands of the sea. We pray thee that everyone may learn of thy word, be comforted, be built up in faith and knowledge.

Bless us all who take part, we pray, in Christ's name. There is a place of quiet rest near to the heart of God, A place where sin cannot molest, near to the heart of God. O Jesus, blessed Redeemer, Sent from the heart of God, Hold us who bow before Thee, near to the heart of God. Amen. There is a shepherd who cares for his own, and he is mine.

And he is mine. Nothing am I, he's a king on a throne, But he is mine. How can he love such a sitter as I, though he is mine? I cannot fathom, though often I try, but He is mine. Though all unworthy, I know He is mine, He is mine.

Though it is wonderful, yet it is true that He is mine. Jesus left Heaven my Savior to be, and He is mine. I am not worth all He suffered for me, but He is mine. But he is mine. Though I'm not worthy, he dwells in my heart.

And he is mine. From him I'll never, no never depart, for he is mine. Though all unworthy I know Though all unworthy, I know He is mine. He is mine. Though it is wonderful, yet it is true, that he is mine.

In a moment, a musical number. But first we want to express our sincere thanks to the many who regularly remember the Voice of Prophecy radio work with their gifts. It's with this kind of remembrance, together with your prayers, that makes it possible for us to continue our radio ministry week after week and to carry this program into unentered, needy areas. Filled with sorrow, be thou near. When I fear to face tomorrow.

Be thou near. Be thou near me, O my Savior, when me. Oh my Savior, when my heart is filled with fear, When I feel my faith is failing, Blessed Savior, be Thou near. Be thou near. When the trials of life oppress me, be thou near.

When temptations fierce distress me, be thou near. Distress me. Be thou near, be thou near me, O my Savior, when my heart is filled with fear, When I feel my faith is failing, Blessed Savior, be Thou near. Here now is HMS. Richards, the voice of prophecy speaker.

His subject, the man who is inconvenienced. It isn't always convenient to become a Christian. Sometimes people find out that God must break the routine of life in order to help them. He doesn't always work in the way they plan and expect. It's true enough, as the poet said, that God moves in a mysterious way his wonders to perform.

The man who wrote those words knew what he was talking about from his own experience. He had planned suicide by jumping into the Thames River at London. But the fog came down, the driver of the carriage he had hired went round and round and back and forth and couldn't find the river. In fact, he brought him back to the place from which they had started. The despondent man realized that a divine hand had intervened and saved his life.

So we have the sweet Christian poems of Cowper. Stanley, the great explorer, said that when he went to Africa to look for Livingston, he was the biggest atheist in London. After incredible hardships, he found Livingston, and behind Livingston, he said, he found Christ. As he stood by the great missionary day after day there in the heart of the dark continent, he saw the love and simplicity and goodness of the man. He saw that he lived the very things that he preached and professed.

Stanley kept saying to himself, What's the matter with him? Is he crazy? What makes him this way? What makes him put himself out so, inconvenience himself to help others? Slowly the influence of Livingston's master began to come over Stanley.

He said Livingston converted me but he never meant to. Dr. W.J. Dawson tells us that when this man Stanley died, years later he turned to his broken-hearted wife and said, don't weep, we shall meet again. Think of those words coming from the man who had once been the biggest atheist in London.

That's the new birth. That shows what God can do when he inconveniences a man. If you have a copy of the Holy Bible handy, Turn to the 24th chapter of the book of Acts. Read the account of the apostle Paul being tried before the Roman governor Felix. Read all 27 verses.

You'll never forget that story. 3 charges were brought against the apostle. 1 was partly true, 1 was entirely true, and 1 was utterly false. He met these charges 1 by 1, then carefully related the facts relative to the case, showed that his faith was based entirely on Holy Scripture, that he was a believer in the same God confessed by his accusers. But this I confess unto thee, says, that after the way which they call heresy, or a sect as we might say, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets, and have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and of the unjust." The governor, who was well acquainted with affairs in Judea, including the work of the Christians, had brought the trial to an end.

He deferred the accusers, telling them that when Lysias, the chief captain who had arrested the apostle Paul, came down from Jerusalem, he would consider the matter further. He kept the apostle in a sort of protective custody. And after certain days, we read now in verse 24, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled and answered, go thy way for this time. When I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.

Many a sermon has been preached on this passage of scripture entitled, Paul before Felix. But should it not rather be called Felix before Paul? Before the interview ended, Paul was really the judge, Felix the governor, they condemned. Felix and his brother were slaves of the Emperor of Rome and had great favor at court. For several years he had been procurator of the Roman province of Judea.

The Roman historian Tacitus tells us in 1 of his bitterest sentences that he wielded his kingly authority with a spirit of a slave, that he was a cruel and lustful man. And while he had been quite active in suppressing banditry and the people were appreciative of it, he was cruel and avaricious, had perpetrated many terrible things himself, trusting to his brother's influence at the court of Rome to protect him. His full name was Antoninus Felix. He'd been appointed by Claudius Caesar to be the governor Judea, about 2 years before the Apostle Paul was arrested. His enemies claimed he would not hesitate to call into his service a group of assassins to do away with anyone who got in his road.

In this way, Felix was able to remove a great many of his enemies and secure his position. But who was his so-called wife, Drusilla? She was the youngest daughter of Herod Agrippa I, the sister of Bernice and Miriam. All 3 of these beautiful women lived lives of infamy. Drusilla had been married to the king of Emesa and had been lured away by Felix to become his wife.

G. Campbell Morgan tells us that there is a story from history to the effect that Simon Magus, after his judgment and condemnation, found his way to the court of Felix and was through him that this unholy alliance had been brought about. The entrance of Felix in Paul's message must have been like that of Herod, who years before was curious about Jesus, wanted to see him, and heard of his wonderful miracles. So Felix was at least curious. He knew about Jesus.

He knew the general story. Drusilla knew of the true God, though she had drifted away from obedience to his law of purity and righteousness. It was before this notorious couple, Felix and Drusilla, that the Apostle Paul, by special appointment, spoke concerning the faith in Christ. And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled. Why shouldn't he tremble?

The apostle might have spoken of something else before these 2 notorious sinners. He might have spoken as a Greek philosopher to please his hearers. No, he spoke of righteousness before an unjust judge, of temperance and self-control before this sinful, self-indulgent pair, of judgment to come before these 2 who thought they could do anything they wanted to without moral obligation. To some polished, cultured sinners, Christianity must at times seem terribly rude. But 1 of the greatest mistakes that anyone can ever commit is to try to cover up and forget his sins.

If they are unconfessed, God has not forgotten them. He says, I will never forget any of their works. Our unconfessed sins are on God's books of record, and in the judgment day they will be manifested to the world. Someone asks, is there no way of deliverance? Is there no hope?

Yes, indeed. As Paul reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, he revealed a wonderful message of the gospel. It is not necessary for us to go on to meet God in judgment, for He is willing to judge our sins now, to cover them with the ransom that Jesus made by His atoning sacrifice upon the cross. Listen to 1 John 1.9. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Remember this, friend, the first time a man comes before God, he must come with all his sins upon him. He must confess his sins, admit his sins, and plead guilty before God. If we do not come before him before the day of judgment, then we shall stand with our sins still upon us, and hear that mighty voice commanding, Depart from me, he cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. Those were the words of Jesus in Matthew 25, verse 41. If we come to him now, we may find salvation.

He that covereth his sins shall not prosper, but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy." Proverbs 28, 13. This was the offer that came to Felix and Drusilla. But what did they say by their actions? We're not ready to confess our sins now. We are not ready to separate from each other.

We are not ready to break this evil tie, this unholy union. We are not ready to give up our life of luxury. We are not ready to cease breaking the commandments of God and men." Felix trembled. He shuddered. He thought of the judgment.

He wasn't ready to meet it. He did plan to get ready someday. He planned to make a change in the future. Go thy way for this time, he said. When I have convenient season, I will call for thee.

He didn't wish to be inconvenienced, troubled, distracted from his joys and sins. He was the great procrastinator of the scriptures. No wonder the Spanish proverb says, procrastination is the thief of time. It's the road of by and by which leads to the town of never. This man of perpetual compromise, of habitual adjournment, adjourned Paul's case.

He deferred it. But here before Paul, he had adjourned his own case. Wait for the convenient season, he said. He who himself might have climbed from his sin and his error into truth and victory, who might have been a mighty teacher of the Christian way, goes out into the darkness. Scriptures say no more about him.

We only hope that somewhere, sometime, the Spirit of God again pierced his conscience, that he trembled once more and turned his heart to the Apostle's Lord. We do not know, but there is 1 thing sure. If he did, he was healed and saved. For the promise of Jesus is, him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." John 6, 37. Let us leave Felix with the silence of the ages and look into our own faces.

What do we say? Are we inconvenienced? Are we still waiting for a convenient season? Let me assure you, listening friend, it will never be more convenient than right now. Now is the accepted time.

Now is the day of salvation. Second Corinthians 6. Don't say, after I've drunk the full cup of life's sinful pleasures, I'll give the dregs to Jesus. Just this word to the young men, the young women, the boys and girls, don't wait till you're old to follow the Lord Jesus, do it now. This is your day to follow Christ.

Dr. H. Ironside tells us that when he was 12 years old, he heard D.L. Moody preach in a great auditorium in Los Angeles. He had crawled out on 1 of the rafters beneath the ceiling and there he heard Moody ask everyone in the auditorium who was a Christian to stand.

About 5 or 6000 people out of the 10000 present stood. Now he said, I want everyone here who became a Christian before he was 15 years of age to sit down. Over half of those standing sat down. Then he asked for those who had accepted Christ before they were 20 to be seated. More than half of those remaining sat down.

Then he continued until finally he got to the age of 50, when there were only about 20 people standing. The Lord will save anyone at any age when he turns to Him. But as we get older, we become self-satisfied, and fewer and fewer are inclined to accept God's convenient season. I was 13 when I found the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. I wonder if some of those listening to this broadcast who are 13 years old will not give their hearts to Christ today.

And other young people, younger or older, or those standing on the western slope of life, The sun is just setting. Will you not make this decision too and make this your day, your convenient season? Do not wait for a more convenient season, But give your heart to Christ now, today, and say to him, O Lord, I give my heart to thee. Give me thy heart, says the Father above, No gift so precious to him as our love. Softly he whispers, wherever thou art, gratefully trust me and give me thy heart, give me thy heart.

Hear the soft whisper wherever thou art. From this dark world he would draw you apart. Speaking so tenderly, Give me thy heart. Give me thy heart, says the Spirit divine, All that thou hast to my keeping resign. Grace more abounding is mine to impart.

Make full surrender and give me thy heart, give me thy heart. Hear the soft whisper wherever thou art. From this dark world he would draw you apart, speaking so tenderly. Those who desire to make a real spiritual change in their lives today, do it now. And will you write me a letter and say, I've made the change, I've given my heart to Christ, I've made the great decision.

Mark the letter personal and I'll read it and pray for you And may God bless you. Please continue to pray for the Voice of Prophecy broadcast as it reaches out to all parts of the earth. Until next week, this is Orville Iverson of the Voice of Prophecy saying, that let us all look up and together go forward in faith. Have faith in God. Christ is the light, the way.

Have faith in God. No more in darkness stay. Have faith in God. This is the hour, the day. Have faith, dear friend, in God.

And we hope our session today has served to give you spiritual strength for the coming week. And we invite you to join us next week for another broadcast brought to you by the Voice of Prophecy. And so we say, the Lord bless thee and keep thee. The Lord make his face shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee. The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

Amen. ♪♪ ♪♪ you

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The Man Who Was Inconvenienced

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