Youth Week - July 2003
5 July, 10am: Summary of sermon by Erlo Stegen

Before the sermon, two ladies gave their testimonies of how God brought them to Him.

Text: Hebrews 4:1-3, 7

1 ¶ Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.

2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.

3 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.

7 Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

On 11 September 2001, two jets smashed into two of the highest buildings in the world. There was a stewardess on one of the planes, the day before it happened. In the plane there was a minister too. He saw the stewardess trying to open a bottle of ice. He went to her and told her that the bottle can break in the way she is trying to open it. She was very thankful for his advice. This man of God then gave her a tract and sat down again. After a while she came to him and told him that it is the 6th tract given to her that day. She asked him what God is trying to say to her. He responded that God wanted her life. Right there and then she decided to make her life right with God. The very next day the plane on which she worked crashed into the Twin Towers and she was killed instantly.

We should tremble before God in fear because it can happen any time. We should be desperate and cry to God that he will not leave us until we are right with Him. God is your rest. You think you have rest, but have none. You're running all the time. In Gal. 5:1 we read Christ has made us free and we need to walk in that liberty. You're seeking freedom. Freedom is in Christ and not in politics. Only Christ has freedom. The stewardess nearly missed her chance.

God came to Lot and told him to flee immediately. Lot, his wife and two daughters fled immediately. And God in heaven vowed that he would destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorra because of their sin. The angles grabbed them by their hands and dragged them out. Then fire and brimstone came down from heaven on the cities. Lot's wife looked back and was turned into a salt pillar, because they were not allowed to look back. The Lord is calling you, but you are still looking around.

Some time ago a jet crashed in Switzerland. There was a minister who worked with us and he needed to travel from Switzerland to the USA. When he came to the airport the plane was full. The minister then prayed and decided to rather go home and take the flight of the following day. On the plane was a beauty queen from Italy. She had a dream the night before the flight, dreaming of the plane crashing into the sea. She phoned her mother in Italy and told her about the dream. She told her mother that she is terrified to go on this plane, but are afraid of what her friends will say. She then boarded the plane and died when the plane crashed. Although she was warned, she was afraid of her friends' opinions.

Israel did not listen when God spoke, and therefore God swore that they would not enter into the rest of God. If you have not yet surrendered to God, do it now. I read to you about the 27 girls who went to Ireland to sell their bodies, and now they are in terrible darkness. The beauty queen boarded the plane because she worried about what her friends will say. Do not fear your friends. When you hear His voice today, do not harden your heart as Israel.

Once again Rev. Stegen made an alter call to which hundreds responded to surrender their lives to Christ.