The Reign of a Sovereign God — Rolfe Barnard

Now if you turn tonight to the book of Acts, chapter 17, I want to read it to me in your presence. The first nine verses of Acts 17. Now when they passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica.

There was a synagogue of the Jews. This manor was, went in under them, and three Sabbath days for the scriptures. Opening in a league, Jesus suffered, and risen again from the dead. And that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ.

He has been consorted with all inside us, and of the devout Greeks, a great multitude, and of the cheap women, not a few. But the Jews which believed not, spoke unto them certain old fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to burn them.

And there was a settlement, and found that they weren't there. And there they drew Jason, and said to the brethren in the city, Sit down, or come hither also. I mean, it was contrary to the decrees of Caesar.

Caesar got all of them. Contrary to Caesar, having led Jesus, and he preached, was the god anointed, sent Messiah. They got a bunch of fellows together, and started an uproar, and mounted the house of a man by the name of Jesus.

And Jason demanded to bring these disturbers, these fellows, and they paid their hands to bring them out. They weren't there. Part of the gospel misrepresented Paul's message, misrepresented his motives, methods.

He wasn't trying to turn the world upside down. But that's always the way the enemy works. Their accusation, those associated with it. Another king, one Jesus. This rainy night, I wonder if you would join me one more time.

Christ the King in a World of False Allegiance

Another king, one Jesus. Could we this rainy payday night, this football night, this carnival night, all over America. Could we? I don't think they'll be open much longer. I guess I'm a pessimist. When church buildings like this will be honky-tonks or something right here in America.

And that way in every country. Giving lip service to the gospel. I wonder, another shame. Chicago, and the Victor Center there. I forget all the tales. They had a banquet. A lot of folks were there. Criticizing missionaries from America to Japan.

They were given the choice of going to the concentration camp. Allegiance of the elite. Some of the missionaries crossed their spiritual fingers. Concentration camp. Very bold criticism. I thought about it.

And I tried to give them an honest answer. That since it is 5 ,000 miles from Chicago. I didn't think I was capable of making much. Since I don't know what I'm to do. I wish we could be so tested in this country.

That we could have some real to bring to pass. I tried to do it under God. Nothing else happens in a given day. Little bit of what I think I want to do. Atmosphere of safety. And complacency. I get out on the limb so far.

That I could tell. Question of the preacher. People use the truth of living. The light of God. To disseminate the heavens and the earth. Trembling at the audacity of it. Christ is King. All because of the crown.

The Many Crowns and Universal Rule of Christ

Revelation 19 and 12 says on his head. There are many crowns. The pages of this book. The record of the revelation of God to men and women. And from the Old Testament and the New. There is a scriptural surprise for the Lord.

Over the nations. There is peace key over the saints. For his subjects. For the well-being of his subjects. Responsibility to save. And preserve his people. And that he be well equated. Christ can only be known through discipleship.

And it would be. To go through coming alive. To the gift of. And your nation of church. Turn into this. And change. Men and women. The question that I'm answering. Is the crown of my life. Upon his head.

Crowning Christ With Our Whole Lives

The God that I've been able to give him. The only thing I own. Can't give him any money. The cattle on a thousand hills it is. Can't give him anything. Our breath is in his hand. Long since we quit talking about giving him our talents.

We ain't got none. Except one thing he gave us. I ain't got anything on God's earth. But I say. Have I been able. To put a crown on his head. And that crown be. Here I am Lord. I don't know what on God's earth you want.

But here I am. Here I am. Here I am. Preaching. The crowning Christ. I ain't put God through the doors. To give him some of our time. And what we call our talents. None of the money he gives us. We've given everything.

Except ourselves. But he didn't settle for anything. Except us. Because of the power he wields. He may come lately. He's not somebody who ran for office. I called to go out and electioneer for him. Email paper came.

Mission. Don't get the job done. I tell you. That I. Won't get worse. Will get better. I confess to you. I'm old. Where I'm going to have to find my joy. In the sense of doing the will of God. Because I'm dead sure I ain't having much success.

I confess to you. That I may yet get to the place. That there's just one thing. The resignation. But the station is in the garden of Gethsemane. And I don't know whether you've got the interpretation.

Gethsemane and Submission to God's Will

But I know this is exactly what happened. My Lord as a man. In such a terrible battle. That he could say anything to. That would be worth living like. Ever come to that place. And bless God we do not own the legions.

To appeal for kings. Or for kinder after a throne. And. I first came since fifteen. And can't stay a while. When my sagging spirit. Begins to hurt and so again. And I spit in the devil's face. And cut him out.

And tell him to go back to where he. Go where he belongs. And get up. With a ring of satin on the bones. That this world exists. We might be seekers after him. And finally know how to find. And again I'm pleading with men and women.

To swear allegiance. And they're going to quit. And they do. And so I warn my old spiritual belief. Now again the language I've just learned. Come with me. After he shall have delivered up. The kingdom to God.

Even the father. May be there after he shall have. Put down. Any of our own. And that dream starts. When every man is. All I can dream. And now. Maybe you. Are the great commission. Or. And if the Lord.

Against the whole wide. House. Will be able. God. Maybe nobody will be there. Maybe nobody. Will be there. And again I warn. To swear allegiance. To the one. We believe. We believe. He must reign. Devil.

Christ Reigns Until Every Enemy Is Subdued

Is in. Sins of the king. And the rule. Of darkness. And all the machinations. Of men. And God. Is in. Going to escape. This. Subjection of all. Of themselves. To Christ. And all things. Shall be subdued.

Unto him. Then shall. The son. Also himself. Be subject. Unto him. The God. And the father. And this world. Is subject. Listen to me now. God tell me something. I said smart. I wouldn't listen. To me.

But they said. Now. Send him. The ordained. And I'm glad. I got ordained. Back then. I couldn't pass. The test. Now. But I got by. The father. Was preaching. My ordinations. And he gave me. A mass. Of a sermon.

He said. Now. Brother. Rob. There'll be lots. Of nights. And the heavens. Will knock at. Your toe. When you're getting. In on. I'm going to have some trouble. In your toe. When you're getting. In on. And the heavens.

Will knock at. I'm going to have some trouble. In your toe. When you're getting. So they said. That's smart. I'm going to give you. A premature. He'd have to do this. And the catalyst. Who do well. In the past.

John Bernie. He'd never heard. As the choir. Did walk me. I got to the choir. The more beautiful. The music was. After a while. I did notice. That there was. A baby. Could see in the choir. And I did keep me walking.

Chosen to Serve in the King’s Choir

And when finally I got in I saw that there was some lettering on that. They kept walking. And soon I did start, I did see as I kept walking that my name and that I did come to it. And I did sit me down.

And that I did begin the singing. And I never missed the moment. He said, I knew the music. I've been singing in my world in this journey. Song of Moses. First love. The holy place. Serving the holy. Over this year.

Have an atmosphere in this country where this would be heard with joy. And prophets and forgiveness wrought out. Isn't that wonderful? Mark, the Nicodemus psalm says we should be able to stand nobody.

But the next verse says there is. And you have for myself and the people in the hope to see in godlessness and lawlessness that's threatening the life of churches off the face of the earth. I could lift up my voice to hear his name through this man.

He's been in hell these 40-odd years. And I've been preaching through the bible. But all I have to do is cry a little bit, a little bit, a little bit, a little bit. The vice president. We started an infidel club in college.

One of them was shot and killed. So we graduated. I've been preaching for 43 years. What's the difference? I don't know, folks. The forgiveness of sin. Oh, how sweet. The forgiveness. And descend against.

The Blessedness of Forgiven Sin

Do some time I do believe. What old David said. Blessed is the man who sinned. The cruel doctrine was appointed. If it wasn't something to be argued about, he's the one to appraise it. I had grief. This has happened long before.

Listen to the name of Ben B. Johnson, I expect you. He was a nurse in the hospital. He preached. And so soon I got a telegram from a lady near me in Texas. This isn't an hour's wave. And she said, now so-and-so's in Lubbock and she's a nurse and said to take you to the hospital.

Some of the ladies here in Abilene meet regularly as often as we can. And we're praying that God might for the soul of that young lady. I was able to write her back that she was in a meeting. But pretty soon she quit coming to the meetings.

It got to where she was under such deep distress and conviction she couldn't stand her feet. That's why she got to where she couldn't help keep her up her hip on either side, get back to her home. And it got to where she came to me before she got that awful distressed before she took out.

And she said, I want y 'all to quit praying for me. And I said, I ain't going to do it. It's my business who I pray for. And she said, well, I'm in hell. And I said, well, praise the Lord. She said, I ain't coming back if y 'all don't keep on praying for me.

And I said, well, I can't control what you do, but we're going to keep on praying. And she kept coming back for a few miles, but couldn't stand for a minute's patience. She couldn't stand. She couldn't stand up.

She was in an awful shape years ago. And finally she quit coming to the meetings. Folks got interested, and they kept bombarding the school. They said, my Lord did that good. I just know it does. I can't explain it.

And finally one night, about 11 o 'clock at night, I brought her back to service. And was about to sleep. And here came that damn pastor. Got me up and said, we've got to go to the hospital. And I said, what for?

I said, miss, so and so had she told me to come get you, she just told me. And said, let's come over to that hospital. She just had to say it. And it made me mad, because I wanted to sleep. And we went over there, and we went in the room where that nurse would now be a nurse.

She couldn't get out of bed. She was in an awful shape you never saw. And I stood by her bed, and I said, you sent from me? What do you want? She said, I want you to pray for me. I said, I ain't going to do it.

I'm going to pray for you all I'm going to. And she began to cry. I said, you were cruel. I said, girl, you just prayed for me. You prayed for me to be healed. And now I'm going to pray for somebody else.

And she said, well, no, no, no, I didn't mean it. She said, she said, I want you to just pray for me one more time. I said, no. She said, pray for me. I said, I ain't going to do it. I'm going to pray for you all I know.

And you just sit there and hold on to time and hold on to the idols. She said, girl, now I've got room for one, you know. Huh? She just banshed the gospel from me one more time. You were the sweetest thing I've ever heard.

I'm not afraid of what you left me. She said, so wonderful. I said, what's so wonderful? She said, the King Jesus. As he did, he disproved himself. That's the cause of the demands, you know. He's got a right to make demands.

The Sovereign Rule of the Savior

This is about the only thing I know to talk about right now. Unconditional. One trouble, ladies and gentlemen. I've never done but one thing on this whole world. Back down to the Garden of Eden. The sovereign rule of every graveyard and every tear.

Every heartache, every diseased body. Everything that troubles this world is the cause of heaven against God's sweet rule. Has anybody ever listened to me enough to preach that kind of a savior? Who is the savior?

I'll tell you who he is. He's the one who brings us King London Christmas Day morning. You remember, don't you? Oh, that great tiding, the great book. What have you said to me? I'm going to be the crowning king of my life.

And in it, I'm going to put my Lord on that awful tree. I've never been able to accept any of the theory that I've read in the books. I'm just going to doubt myself. John, I'm going to tell you one thing I do know.

Extinction to the will of God. God led him right straight to Calvary. Oh, and I was a little fellow. He used to call his bed, pray and weep. And then, boy, didn't his kids look out from the doors open?

Like that, I said, yes. Of course, I know nothing about him. But, oh, it's a high privilege to be in head over heels in love with somebody I've come to know as the lover of my soul. God knows he demands total allegiance to this person.

Total Allegiance to Christ’s Mission

Full involvement in this program. I've been there lots of times. He can get me to ask him for a certificate visit, and so am I. I say, well, I can go so-and-so. I miss people whose faces I say, oh, those people look terrible.

Well, there's that picture. Well, he's out of the ministry now. I've fought a great fight. I've kept and put out on the way. I love this person. I've been involved in his purpose and program. And if he'd be called to face days as dark as Noah's face, I'd like to be a member of the company of people.

By the way, who are you? You're saying everything inside's safe and everything outside's gone. But ain't nothing happening now. I'm left to be involved in the same thing the Lord Jesus Christ is involved in.

For the good news of the kingdom of God. Hello, crazy. He's telling the truth. I've been able to come into it day by day, reach the middle, he said, brother. There's no heartache in it. There's peace in it and joy forevermore.

And past me not has been a failure. Young and humble crowd. Preaching my heart out to you folks this trip. I wanted to rejoice a little again. Let's begin again. But tonight I've let up a little bit. And I need to go my own way.

My favorite invitation here.