It’s Just Like His Great Love - King’s Heralds Where Dreams All Come True - Del Delker Break Thou the Bread of Life - King’s Heralds Why Not Say Yes? - King’s Heralds

It’s Just Like His Great Love - King’s Heralds Where Dreams All Come True - Del Delker Break Thou the Bread of Life - King’s Heralds Why Not Say Yes? - King’s Heralds

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Voice Of Prophecy

H.M.S. Richards

The Man Who Was Almost a Christian

Lift up the trumpet and lovely ring. Jesus is calming again. Cheer up pil. Be joyful. Jesus is calming. Again, This is the voice of prophecy, a voice crying in the wilderness of these modern days. Prepare you the way of the Lord. Call again, again, Again. 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, Our friend. I have called Jesus whose love is strong and I I've, but it's just like Jesus to roll the clouds away. It's just like Jesus to keep me day by day. It's just like Jesus all along the Way. It's just like his great Lord. Oh, I could sing Jesus loveness for this, for life of Lord and wins and Jesus and rolls the clouds away. It's just like Jesus to roll the clouds away. It's just like Jesus to keep me day by day. It's just like Jesus all along the way. It's just like he is great Lord. Let us pray. Our heavenly Father, we thank the for a place and I service bless us today in this broadcast and everyone who listens, we pray the that thy word may bring consolation to us and conviction to us and lead us to put our trust in Jesus Christ in His name. We ask it The sin. Oh Jesus. Blessed redeemer sent from the heart of God hold us who bow before the near to the heart of God. I'm longing, dear Lord for that. Where we shall be travel no More Like travelers out on the ocean where my dreams come True, Where my dreams will come. The joy that I lost in the shadows. Will my dreams come and soon will heaven come inside and there I shall forever and in that city, Lord, Where my dreams come true, where my dreams will come. The joy that I lost in the shadow Just before today's message by hm hs. Richards the voice of prophecy. Speaker, won't you take your Bible, turn to the 25th chapter ofx and then join in this prayer with the king's heralds. Break th the bread of life dear Lord to me Bread. Dear Lord, sacred page Lord. And Here now is HMS Richards, the voice of prophecy speaker who's going to tell us about the man who is almost a Christian. The apostle Paul had gone on trial before Felix the money loving politician and about two years later before Festus the just judge, he had uttered the words I appeal under Caesar as a Roman citizen. He had a right to do this. Peu Festus had replied with the appropriate legal term. Thou has appealed under Caesar and unto Caesar thou shall go. We read all this in the 25th chapter of Acts. Now the apostle was awaiting transportation to the capital of the world and Festus was entertaining King Agrippa II and Bei. The whole story is here in Acts 25 and 26. Notice those two words and Bei, they are repeated three times in the narrative. Bei was a grip's own sister and also the sister of Drew Illa, the wife of Felix. She had been married to her own uncle herd but had abandoned him to marry Polyman. Both Jewish and Roman historians agree that she was now living with Agrippa in Unnamable sin. But who was Agrippa too? He was the last of the herds. His great-great-grandfather was Herod who had murdered the innocence at the birth of Jesus. His granduncle had murdered John the Baptist and his father Agrippa. One had executed the Apostle James and had tried to do the same for the apostle Peter. Only 16 years before this day, he had died a tragic death smitten by the hand of God for his blasphemous assumption of divine honor. Surely King Agri knew a great deal about the Christian faith. He had been trained in all the rights and ceremonies of the Hebrew people. He was well acquainted with the Hebrew scriptures. He was a guardian of the temple and appointed the high priest. Festus has told his guests about the captive Paul as a reader of human character and as a careful investigator, he's convinced that the charges against the apostle are false. Now what's the real charge against him? As Festus summed it up, it seemed that it concerned a man named Jesus who was dead, whom Paul affirmed to be alive. That's verse 19. Festus said to the king, and because I doubted of such manner of questions, I asked him whether he would go to Jerusalem and there be judged of these matters. But when Paul had appealed to be reserved under the hearing of Augustus, I commanded him to be kept till I might send him to Caesar. Then agri said under a festus, I would also hear the man myself tomorrow said He thou shall hear him. And so on the next day, the apostle answered for his faith before Festus, king, Agrippa and Bernese, the woman who had no right to be there as the cons of the king, the heads of the military department, the Roman licks and the leading men of the city. It is not a trial, it was a court function. Paul's address before Agrippa falls into three parts. First his introductory words to Agrippa, then his apology for his way of life and last, a mighty appeal to the man Agrippa in which the apostle forgets the king, the royal robes, the occasion and pleads with a soul to surrender to Christ. What a sermon, what an audience. It was a pig and assembly, an hour of entertainment, but it turned into a mighty missionary meeting with a great evangelistic appeal. Agrippa said, thou art permitted to speak for thyself and the apostle did just that. He told the story of his life that the whole course of God's revelation to man is revealed in Jesus that the law and the prophets point forward to him and are completed in him. He proved that he was being true to all the principles of truth that he is a Pharisee had taught and that every thinking man not to come to the same conclusion that he told the story of his conversion on the Damascus road when Jesus appeared to him of the change in his own life, the success of his ministry in relating this, he said, as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests at midday, oh king, I saw in the way a life from heaven above the brightness of the sun shining roundabout me and them journeyed with me. And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecuted thal me? It is hard for they to kick against the pricks that is like the ox gods. And I said, who are thou Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecuted Saul had been on the road to Damascus, to apprehend the Christians and bring them bound to Jerusalem for punishment as apostates from the faith and commonwealth of Israel. The glory of that light blighted him. He heard a voice in the language he loved the best calling him by name and tenderly pleading Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? His mind must have gone to that day when he assisted in the stoning of Stephen Christ's first martyr and heard that man with a face like an angel, say, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. Behold I see the heavens opened and the son of man standing at the right hand of God. You'll find that in Acts seven verse 60. Ever since that time, Saul had been like a refractory ox kicking against the gods which were guiding him on toward faith. Now Jesus appears to him and trembling and amazed He cries out Who are thou Lord? The audible voice from heaven replies, I am Jesus whom now persecuted Acts nine verse five. And that changed everything. This revelation of Jesus Christ was the beginning of a new life and that's what conversion always is, but arise and stand up on my feet. He was commanded for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose to make the A minister and a witness both of these things which thou has seen and those things in which I will appear unto the that was Paul's ordination to the Christian ministry for then. And from then on he could say Christ the son of God has sent me through the midnight lands mine, the mighty ordination of the pierced hands to king of agri. Paul described his work as the apostle to the Gentiles in those far off countries and how it was all based on the Undoubtable fact. Jesus was alive where upon oh king of Agrippa. I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision, but showed first unto them of Damascus and that Jerusalem and throughout all the coasts of Judea and then to the Gentiles that they should repent and turn to God and do the works, meet for repentance. And he added this was all in harmony with what the prophets in Moses did say should come. King Agrippa had given an uninterrupted hearing. He knew the background of Paul's argument. He knew it was in harmony with the law and the prophets. But Festus, the skeptic, the rationalist, the Roman judge leaned forward and cried. Paul, you're beside yourself. You're crazy. Much learning in this study of religious problems has unbalanced your wits. The apostle turned to him coolly and calmly and said, I'm not mad most noble Festus, but speak forth the words of truth and soberness for the king north of these things before whom I speak freely before I'm persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him. For this thing was not done in a corner. The facts about Jesus were common knowledge and were spreading all over the world. People knew all about it in Palestine. It was not hidden from the king. And now comes the great appeal to Agrippa himself, looking him earnestly in the face, the apostle bypasses the Roman judge and listening listeners and attentive military man, the lawyers socialites and Bernice. He appeals to the king, king Agrippa. He says, believe us thou the prophets, you know the story of Jesus. You know the writings of the prophets just put them together and reached the logical conclusion that he is the son of God. He is the savior of the world. The message I preach of the Christian way is the only hope. What do you say? King Agrippa believes to other prophets. He does not answer, but the apostle answers for him. I know that I believes this man who had been successful, probably the most successful of all, the Herods in winning the hearts of the people was naturally reasonable but thoroughly worldly. He was deeply learned in the sacred scriptures. This man who had the religious fate of his people in his hands as the appointer of the high priest as keeper of the temple. Think of him. What a worker for God. He would've made what? A preacher. What an evangelist. Yes. What an apostle as a great silent in the room. The king forgets everyone but himself and God's man who stands before him. He leans forward and exclaims almost the persuade his me to be a Christian. Look at them there agri in his purple robe, Bernice decked with her jewels. Festus in the scarlet of the Roman judge, the soldiers, the magistrates with all their dignity, the civil officers at their stations and before them. Paul in chains, in bonds ready to be sent to Roman, possibly to death. Hear those words in the silence almost almost shall persuade me to be a Christian. Paul. Answers I would to God that not only thou, but also all that. Hear me this day, were both almost and all together as I am, except these bonds. See, he holds up those manacled hands. The chains rattle. This is what I wish for you, Agrippa, Bek and all here today. I wish for you, not almost, but all together, the joy and the happiness that is mine. I wish for you the same. Blessed hope that I have and that's what we wish for everyone who has not yet found the great salvation. What happened then? All we know is that soon the tension was gone, agri arose from his throne. Setting aside the conviction and the mighty appeal, the function was ended. Festus agri and Bernese began to chat. How did it all finally end with Agrippa? We are not told that the scripture draws the curtain and leaves him the almost Christian. What is not done today, friend is never done. What is almost done is never completed. The almost Christian is not a Christian. God's messenger may be a human being or he may speak to us through a great sorrow, a great loss. His message may come to us in pain or in some great disappointment and our hearts may be moved deeply. We may be under tremendous conviction. We may shed tears be so deeply moved that we forget all else about us and cry out in the true language of the heart. Almost, almost now persuade us, me to be a Christian. We may do many things, but unless we make the final surrender, we are no nearer God than before. In fact, we are actually farther away. You know it's harder for God's word to find our hearts again after we've once been deeply moved and rejected. God's call the voice of conscience becomes fainter and fainter and fainter until finally it is still almost persuaded now to believe. Almost persuaded Christ to receive. Seems now some soul to say, go spirit. Go thy way. Some more convenient day on the aisle. Call, take warning radio friend. Take warning from this almost Christian and hear in your own heart today the appeal of the great apostle. And come now and come today and give your heart to Christ in full consecration. We remember the song of Mr. Bliss almost persuaded. Come, come. Today is the chorus almost persuaded. Turn not away. Jesus invites you here. Angels are lingering the earth. Prayers rise from heart. So dear. Oh wonder come. Oh, he's tenderly pleading with. So come to him and why not say yes today? Why not say yours? What? Why accept Christ for your savior? All shall be well. Bring His love. Shall His spirit shall God and save You In his Way? Why not say yes? Why not? I hope that all who wish to respond to this appeal will join with me in this prayer. Heavenly Father, we give our hearts to the make us. We pray, not almost, but all together Christians. And this we ask in Jesus name. Amen. And now this is Orva Iverson of the voice of prophecy with a word to old and young alike. Jesus wants to be our closest friend. So then let us look up to him and go forward in faith. Have faith in God. Hear now the saviors call. Have faith in God to rise and not to fall. Have faith in God is not almost, but all have faith. Dear friend in God, we trust this program has brought help to you. Listen for another broadcast brought to you by the voice of prophecy. The Lord bless the and keep the the Lord. Make his face shine up on the and be gracious unto the the Lord. Lift up his countenance upon the, and give the peace.

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The Man Who Was Almost a Christian

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