Participants:
Series Code: HCAU
Program Code: HCAU200001S
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00:11 And this is the record
00:13 that God hath given to us eternal life 00:16 and this life is in His Son. 00:20 Welcome to 3ABN Australia Homecoming. 00:30 Welcome to 3ABN's Australia's Homecoming 2020. 00:36 We're here for our homecoming, and that's exciting. 00:41 We're here in our studio, 00:42 in fact, you know, we've been carrying... 00:45 This is our third program. 00:47 A third homecoming? Yeah, third homecoming. 00:49 It's been different venues 00:50 but now it's in our Morisset studios 00:53 because of the COVID situation. 00:54 Yes, we can't go to a venue. That's right. 00:56 And I'm really excited because this is our first program. 00:59 Yes, it is. 01:01 And we're studying today, 01:04 what we're studying during the series, 01:07 it's preparing for eternity 01:10 and we're going through 01:11 the thirteen chapters of Steps to Christ, 01:15 because knowing Christ is only preparation we need. 01:19 That's right. 01:21 And it's very important that 01:22 we have a relationship with Jesus. 01:24 Mm-hmm. 01:25 'Cause if we don't have that preparation with Jesus, 01:27 there will be no eternity for us. 01:29 That's right. So that's what we have to do. 01:31 So that's why we are doing that today. 01:33 We're going to be doing this the next, 01:35 we've got 13 programs. 01:37 And today, on the first Chapter 1 01:40 of Steps to Christ, we have a speaker 01:42 that's well-known to 3ABN and that's Sven Ostring, 01:45 and we're looking forward to what he has to say 01:48 because I like Sven, he is very enthusiastic 01:51 and I'm sure you will enjoy what he has to say. 01:54 And he's got Chapter 1. 01:55 What's the title? 01:57 The title is... 02:00 God's love for man. God's love for man? 02:04 God's love for man. That's fantastic. 02:06 That's a wonderful topic 02:07 and I know that our audience here 02:10 is going to really be blessed 02:12 and thank you for being here 02:13 with us for our homecoming in the studio. 02:16 I'll call it our COVID homecoming. 02:18 Mm-hmm. So that's what it is. 02:21 A homecoming, a Clayton's homecoming, 02:23 the homecoming you have 02:24 when you don't have a homecoming. 02:26 So that's what we have, 02:28 but our special item is Helio Auguste 02:32 and he is going to be singing 02:35 I might not always be there, 02:37 and we have Desiree Sleight who's playing piano for him, 02:41 and we've Henry Lorens who's playing guitar. 02:44 So welcome people. 02:46 Welcome, Helio and come and sing for us now. 03:12 I may not always be there 03:20 To take you by the hand 03:27 I may not always be there 03:33 To listen or understand 03:41 May not always be there 03:48 When life seems all up hill 03:54 But I know someone who always will 04:02 I know someone who always will 04:10 May not always be there 04:18 To hear you cry 04:25 May not always be there 04:31 To wipe a tear from your eye 04:40 May not always be at your bed side 04:48 All the times when you're feeling ill 04:53 But I know someone who always will 05:01 I know someone who always will 05:12 Jesus will always be there 05:19 He knows how much I love you 05:26 And in every situation 05:33 He'll be there to see you through 05:41 May not always be there 05:48 So let your heart be peaceful and still 05:54 For I know someone who always will 06:01 For I know someone who always will 06:08 For I know someone who always will 06:18 His name is Jesus 06:57 Well, are we ready to go on the journey? 06:59 Imagine this, preparing for eternity. 07:02 But not only that, 07:04 Steps to Christ all the way through 07:06 to eternity as well. 07:08 And as we start on this journey together, 07:10 I'd like to invite you to join with me 07:13 as we pray together. 07:16 Because we want to not only go together, 07:18 but we want to be able to put our hands in hands 07:21 of our loving Father and do this journey together. 07:24 So let's pray as we start this journey. 07:27 Father in heaven, I just want to thank You 07:29 so much for this opportunity 07:31 that we have in the midst of the world 07:33 which is terrible and it's chaotic 07:36 and so uncertain that 07:38 we can truly put our hands in Your hand and walk by faith. 07:43 Lord, we want to prepare for eternity. 07:45 We want to be able to journey with You today, 07:50 tomorrow, and forever as well. 07:53 And, Father, as we dive into Your Word, 07:55 I pray that that You'd help us to understand 07:59 how we can trust You more, 08:00 how we can grow to be more like You, 08:03 how we can see into the depths of Your heart. 08:06 This is my prayer. 08:07 May You fill us with Your Holy Spirit 08:09 not only here as we spend time in Your Word, 08:13 but for every person no matter 08:15 where they are in Australia, 08:18 New Zealand and around the world. 08:20 Lord, fill us with Your Spirit, 08:22 we want to dive deep into Your love. 08:24 Today, this is my prayer in Jesus' name. 08:27 Amen. Amen. 08:30 I don't know about you, 08:31 but I've always wanted to travel through space. 08:34 You know, to be able to travel 08:36 through thousands and billions of galaxies, 08:39 to be able to fly through a nebula 08:42 as we've been watching in our backdrop, 08:45 to actually land on a planet, 08:49 or a moon, or even to peer into a black hole. 08:53 Wouldn't that be amazing? 08:54 I mean the scientists may tell us that 08:56 we're not able to do that, 08:58 but I still would like, kind of like to do it anyway. 09:00 But you know the fact is this is we're told that 09:05 we will travel through space. 09:06 Do you realize that? 09:08 There's going to come a day when we travel through space. 09:12 You know, we're told that when the Lord descends, 09:17 and we're all transformed in a twinkling of an eye. 09:21 Guess what? 09:22 As Christ calls us, 09:24 we'll be caught up into the air, 09:26 and then we'll be travelling through space 09:29 for seven days to the sea of glass. 09:32 Won't that be incredible? 09:34 And I reckon, I reckon in one of those days, 09:36 at least one of those days, 09:38 we'll be flying through a nebula. 09:41 Wouldn't that be incredible? 09:42 Through the dust and the colors 09:45 and the inspiring things of outer space. 09:49 You know, and when we get to heaven, 09:51 that is going to be the greatest homecoming ever. 09:55 Isn't that correct? Isn't that amazing? 09:58 That is the homecoming we're looking forward to. 10:01 You know, I know that many of you 10:03 have been looking forward to this homecoming 10:06 because you're able to connect with family and friends, 10:10 you know, right around the world online. 10:12 But I reckon that homecoming that 10:15 this kind of a reflection of is the homecoming 10:18 that we'll be able to have in heaven itself 10:22 reflecting on the space travel that we have done. 10:26 But don't get too excited though, 10:28 don't get too excited, don't step on the accelerator 10:31 or as they say in the States, step on the gas 10:34 because I want to 10:35 at the next galactic intersection. 10:38 I want to slow down, I want to put on the indicator 10:42 and I want to do a U-turn, 10:44 and I want to come travelling back 10:46 through space to one of the dark little corners 10:50 of our universe, and we're heading towards 10:54 one of the most beautiful spiral galaxies that exists. 10:59 And right in the middle of that galaxy 11:02 is what is known as the galactic core. 11:05 The galactic core is a nuclear furnace. 11:09 In the galactic core of this galaxy, 11:12 there are 10 million stars, 11:17 and every second they're fusing hydrogen atoms 11:23 to become helium. 11:25 Trillions of hydrogen atoms are becoming helium atoms 11:30 every second in this galactic core. 11:33 But don't worry, don't worry, 11:35 we're not going to head into this fiery furnace today. 11:39 We're going to kind of veer off to the right here 11:43 and we're going to head 11:44 to one of the beautiful solar systems that exist. 11:49 We're going to head and travel down in space. 11:52 We're going to go travel through, 11:54 you know, as we look at some of the planets 11:56 we're going to go by. 11:58 We're going to go by Saturn. 12:00 You know that incredible planet 12:03 which has those beautiful rings. 12:06 The rings which are made from fragments of ice. 12:10 These stunning rings 12:12 that the planet Saturn is so well-known for. 12:16 But not only are we going to travel through the rings, 12:19 we're going to actually fly over 12:21 some of the moons. 12:23 One of largest moons 12:24 that Saturn has is called Titan. 12:26 Very appropriate name but, you know, Titan, on Titan, 12:31 they're literally lakes of liquid methane. 12:36 Can you believe that? 12:37 On Titan, there's these lakes of liquid methane. 12:41 But not only there's Titan, also this moon Enceladus. 12:46 Enceladus is one of the most brightest objects 12:51 in our solar system and the reason is 12:54 because its surface is frozen ice. 12:58 It's like a mirror. 13:00 It's like this mirror that reflects light from it, 13:05 and recently they had a fly over of Enceladus. 13:09 And as they flew over the surface of Enceladus, 13:13 they found that they were like geysers 13:16 on the southern part of the moon. 13:18 These jets of water vapor 13:21 just flowing out into space continuously. 13:25 Water vapor and hydrogen. 13:28 And what those jets are doing, is that they are actually 13:31 replenishing the biggest ring around Saturn. 13:36 Isn't that incredible? 13:38 This incredible space, but we're not gonna stop there, 13:40 we're not gonna stop at Saturn, we're gonna fly past Jupiter. 13:44 Wouldn't that be amazing? 13:46 You know, Jupiter, this biggest planet 13:49 in our solar system 13:51 which is made completely of gas. 13:54 That's why it's called the gas giant. 13:57 It's a beautiful, beautiful planet 13:59 with these storms that 14:01 they go on for hundreds of years. 14:05 But we're having a stunning cosmic ride 14:09 but the fact is this, is that both of those planets 14:14 as beautiful as they may be, they're completely dead. 14:20 There's no life on them at all. 14:22 They're too cold, 14:24 the atmospheric pressure is too great. 14:27 They're beautiful planets but dead planets. 14:32 And so we're gonna continue our journey, 14:34 we're gonna continue our journey to a beautiful, 14:37 incredibly beautiful planet 14:40 that is known as the blue marble. 14:44 The blue marble, you know, this planet has, 14:48 is made up of colors of blue, of green, of brown, of white, 14:52 like white, like swirls like a marble. 14:55 And you know, as we head towards this planet, 14:58 the reality is though that 14:59 we're going to be flying through something 15:01 which is invisible to the human eye 15:04 and that is we're going to be 15:06 flying through a magnetic field, 15:09 a magnetic field. 15:11 And this magnetic field is like this protective shield 15:17 that even though its nearest star, 15:21 this fiery furnace, this nuclear furnace 15:26 is blasting this planet 15:28 and all the other planets with these solar winds, 15:30 these magnetic fields protect this planet. 15:35 It's like this planet 15:36 is cupped in big protective hands 15:40 as if there's someone who wants to keep 15:44 this planet special for someone. 15:48 You know, not only this, 15:50 the blue marble has a moon and, 15:53 of course, there's nothing special 15:55 about having a moon. 15:56 Lots of planets have moons. 15:57 But, you know, this planet has a moon 15:59 which is just large enough, just at the right distance 16:03 to provide a tidal force on the oceans 16:07 so that the oceans are replenished 16:10 and refreshed and cleansed. 16:13 It's an amazing, amazing planet. 16:15 It's a beautiful world. 16:18 It's a protective world as well. 16:20 Someone has a special interest in this planet. 16:25 As not only blue marble has a moon, 16:27 it's also at just the right distance 16:29 from its neighboring star which is called the sun. 16:33 You know, it's just at the right distance. 16:35 It's not too close, otherwise the heat 16:38 from the star would boil away its oceans dry. 16:42 It's not too far away, otherwise its waters would be 16:45 frozen as well, frozen ice. 16:48 The reality is that this planet is right at the right place. 16:55 Somebody wants it to be there. 16:58 Somebody wants it to be there for a special reason. 17:01 And who is that someone special 17:03 that the person is thinking about? 17:05 Well, life on earth is here 17:09 because of all of these parameters, 17:11 all of these things which are just right. 17:15 But it's only because there's life on planet earth, 17:19 the reality is that 17:20 there's someone something really special on planet earth 17:26 and that life form is people. 17:29 That is us. 17:31 We're here on this planet 17:33 because someone has designed this planet for us. 17:36 Amongst all of the life on planet earth, 17:38 human beings stand unique. 17:40 Human beings are the only creatures 17:43 that have a sophisticated form of communication, 17:47 speech and writing. 17:49 You know, people are the only creatures 17:51 that have the capacity for imagination. 17:55 You know, people are the only creatures 17:57 on planet earth 17:59 that have a finely tuned sense of morality as well. 18:04 You know, someone was thinking 18:05 very, very creatively when they came up 18:09 with a concept of a human being. 18:14 There's something even more amazing 18:15 about human beings as well, because as Ty Gibson has said, 18:20 "We humans are creatures engineered for love." 18:26 Isn't that beautiful? 18:28 We humans are creatures engineered for love. 18:33 You know, right from the time 18:36 that we are born, we hunger for love. 18:38 we reach up for love. 18:39 We long to be loved. We search for love. 18:43 You know, this is why song writers 18:46 write about love. 18:47 This is why movie directors always reinvent 18:50 some kind of romantic kind of story 18:53 in today's movies as well. 18:56 The problem is, 18:58 we can't seem to find the love that we're looking for. 19:03 You know, the lead singer of the band U2 sings that song, 19:09 I still haven't found what I'm looking for. 19:15 I still haven't found what I'm looking for. 19:18 The great professor at Oxford University wrote this. 19:23 He said, "Creatures are not born 19:25 with desires unless satisfaction 19:27 for those desires exists." 19:31 And he goes on to say, "A baby feels hunger: 19:33 Well, there is such a thing as food. 19:36 A duckling wants to swim: 19:39 Well, there is such a thing as water." 19:42 Then he continues on with this statement. 19:44 "If I find in myself a desire 19:47 which no experience in this world can satisfy, 19:52 the most probable explanation is 19:55 that I was made for another world." 19:58 I was made for another world. 20:01 Our eyes end up looking out beyond the world, 20:06 beyond this world to find that love that 20:10 we're all searching for. 20:12 You know, as the Hebrew songwriter David 20:14 wrote about 1000 BC. 20:16 He said this, "When I look at your heavens, 20:19 the work of your fingers, 20:21 the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 20:23 what is man that you are mindful of him, 20:26 and the son of man that you care for him?" 20:30 David was looking out for that relationship, 20:33 that love as well. 20:36 And, you know, the question is, 20:38 when you read that piece of Hebrew songs, 20:42 Hebrew poetry. 20:43 The question that I have for you this morning is, 20:47 who was David speaking about? 20:48 Well, of course, you say that's obvious, 20:50 he was speaking about the Creator, the God, 20:54 that's who he was speaking about. 20:56 And to which my immediate response is this, 21:00 how big is this God that we are talking about 21:04 that you are referring to, that David's referring to? 21:07 Well, of course, you say, "Well, of course, God's big, 21:10 He's God." 21:11 Well, I want to know how big is God? 21:13 How big is this God that we are talking about? 21:16 Well, you know, if you are someone like 21:20 Isaac Newton or Albert Einstein 21:23 the great physicists and the great cosmologists, 21:26 they would say, well, God needs to be as big as 21:30 He needs to be to create the universe, 21:32 as big as He needs to be, 21:34 He doesn't need to be any bigger than that, 21:36 which means that God could be finite. 21:39 He doesn't need to have any more power 21:42 than He needs to create the universe. 21:44 That's pretty big, but the thing is this. 21:49 Could God be bigger than that? 21:51 Well, of course, you say, 21:53 He could be bigger than that 'cause He has infinite power, 21:56 He is omnipotent, you know, 21:58 He has an incredible man of power, 22:00 infinite amount of power to be exact. 22:02 Well, I say that's pretty big. That's pretty big. 22:06 But could God be bigger than that? 22:09 Could God be bigger than that? 22:10 Well, if I go and talk to the magisterial reformer 22:14 John Calvin and ask him, how big is your God? 22:19 Calvin would say to me that God is sovereign. 22:23 God is sovereign over everything 22:25 that occurs in this universe. 22:27 God is sovereign that He actually has planned 22:32 out your entire life into the future, 22:35 just like He predestines the orbit of the moon. 22:40 So everything is planned out. 22:43 But I ask you this question, is God bigger than that? 22:49 Because it's possible that God could be sovereign, 22:52 but He could still be arbitrary as well. 22:56 Is your God bigger than John Calvin's God? 23:00 You know, if I were to ask the Apostle John, 23:03 how big is your God? 23:05 He would say, the answer is simple, 23:09 God is love. 23:14 And as soon as we've grasped this concept, 23:17 as soon as we understood that God is love, 23:21 we have reached the greatest 23:22 understanding of God is possible, 23:24 because God could be infinitely powerful 23:28 but not love, which would mean that 23:30 God would be a morally deficient God. 23:33 God could be sovereign, 23:35 He could predestine everything in your lives, 23:38 but God may not be love, which mean that 23:41 God would be a relationally stunted God. 23:44 You know, the biggest picture we have is God is love. 23:49 And that is what philosophers and thinkers think, 23:52 mean when they say that God is a maximally great being. 23:56 God is so big, 23:58 and the biggest concept of God is love. 24:02 And I guess you might be asking at this point, 24:04 what sort of love does God have? 24:07 And I want you to explore this concept with you. 24:10 You know, C.S. Lewis took us on a journey 24:13 and he explored the four main types of love 24:17 in the Greek language, the four loves. 24:20 The first type of love 24:22 that C.S. Lewis explores with us 24:25 is Storge love. 24:27 This is family love. 24:29 This is the familiar kind of love. 24:32 This is a love that you grow up with. 24:34 It's the reason 24:35 why you love your mum and your dad, 24:37 you love your uncle and your aunt, 24:39 you love your grandparents. 24:40 It's a reason why you love your siblings. 24:43 We know it so well, 24:44 and we will live in this love in so many ways. 24:48 You know, C.S. Lewis says it, 90% of the love 24:52 that we experience is actually this type of love. 24:55 It's the love 24:57 which is just around us all the time. 24:59 But then, there's a second type of love 25:01 which C.S. Lewis explores as well, it's Philia love. 25:05 Philia love is the friendship love. 25:07 It's the love 25:09 which is based on our common values, 25:12 common interests as well. 25:14 It's the kind of love that you choose. 25:16 You choose your friends. 25:17 You never chose your parents, right? 25:19 You never chose your uncles and your aunts. 25:21 They're just familiar people in your life 25:23 but for your friends, you choose your friends. 25:27 But there is a problem 25:28 with Philia love and that is this. 25:30 It can be quite clicking. Have you ever noticed that? 25:34 You know, just think if you go to a big church, what happens? 25:37 Very quickly all the people 25:38 just clump into their friendship groups. 25:41 They so quickly go into those groups. 25:44 And the problem is this, 25:46 if you're part of a group, that's great. 25:48 But what if you are new to the church? 25:50 What if you, you haven't been 25:52 able to break into one of the friendship groups 25:56 and you left standing there? 25:58 The problem with Philia love is it can be clicky at times. 26:02 And then the third type of love is Eros love. 26:06 Eros love is very romantic love. 26:08 This is the love that singers sing about. 26:12 This is the love 26:13 that movie script writers write about. 26:16 It's the love that we all hunger for. 26:20 Yet the problem with Eros love is it, 26:22 it can actually lead us to be attracted to 26:26 and connect us with things 26:28 which are superficially beautiful, 26:30 but ultimately leave us hungry and unfulfilled. 26:36 Then there's a final type of love. 26:38 The final type of love is Agape love. 26:41 Selfless, unconditional love. 26:44 Love that always thinks about us. 26:49 It's the greatest kind of love. 26:50 It's not based on our changing circumstances. 26:53 It's a supernatural kind of love. 26:56 It is the love that we find from God Himself. 27:00 God is love, Agape love. 27:04 It is only when we experience this type of selfless, 27:10 unconditional love then we can truly be free. 27:13 Why? 27:15 Because we are now living on a foundation, 27:18 a springboard where we can soar as people. 27:23 And the question we need to ask ourselves 27:24 is how do we know that God loves us with an Agape love 27:28 and not one of the other loves, 27:30 Storge or Philia love or Eros love? 27:32 How do we know? 27:34 And the reason that we know that 27:35 God loves us with an Agape love is, 27:37 of course, because the Bible tells us, 27:39 but it's also because no matter 27:40 what we have done in the past, 27:43 God always comes looking for us. 27:47 God always comes looking for us. 27:50 You know, it started way back 27:52 in the beginning in the Garden of Eden. 27:54 Remember Eve? What she had done? 27:57 She had done what God had told her not to do. 28:01 Do not eat of the fruit of the knowledge of the tree 28:04 of the knowledge of good and evil. 28:05 She had eaten of that fruit. 28:07 And immediately her eyes were open 28:10 and she knew that 28:12 the spiritual protection had been taken away. 28:15 It had gone. 28:17 You know, the blaming, 28:19 the hiding had begun immediately. 28:21 It was incredible. 28:22 And that's what happens 28:24 when you eat the forbidden fruit, right? 28:26 That's what happens 28:28 when you eat the forbidden fruit, 28:29 the blaming, the hiding starts. 28:32 But no sooner had Eve and Adam sinned, 28:37 Adam and Eve sinned, 28:38 then God started looking for them. 28:42 Where are you? 28:43 We hear the Lord God crying out, 28:46 looking for the people that He loves. 28:50 That is Agape love. 28:52 That is the selfless, unconditional love of God 28:57 and you know 28:58 one of the greatest love messages 29:00 that we find in the Bible is found 29:03 in one of the most miserable books 29:05 in the Bible, 29:07 and there is a reason for the misery. 29:09 You know, God's people 29:11 for centuries have been unfaithful 29:14 to the covenant that God 29:16 had made with their ancestor Abraham. 29:21 You know, finally, 29:23 the cup of mercy had been filled, 29:26 the cup of wroth been filled to the brim. 29:29 And what happened was unleashed upon 29:31 God's people was a barrage of conquering peoples, 29:34 armies and kings as well. 29:37 You know, when you have the protective power of God, 29:41 you can look an enemy in the eyes 29:44 and look with absolute courage and certainty, right? 29:48 You can look with certainty. 29:50 But, you know, when you no longer have that protection, 29:54 when you don't have the divine protection 29:56 that leaves you vulnerable and also exposed, 30:02 and that is exactly what happened 30:03 with the people of Judah. 30:05 So, you have the King Nebuchadnezzar 30:07 of Babylon come down 30:09 and he marched and he stripped them 30:12 of the best young people that Judah had. 30:16 He just left the very dregs of the Israelites 30:20 back in Jerusalem, the weak and affirmed, 30:24 and they were a very sorry sight. 30:29 And it is no wonder 30:31 that Jeremiah came to be known as a weeping prophet. 30:37 The prophet that just wept 30:41 for God's people back in Jerusalem. 30:44 But, you know, 30:46 in the midst of this sorrow and weeping, 30:48 God came to Jeremiah with the message. 30:52 God told Jeremiah a message 30:55 which He wanted to be told 30:58 to the rest of the people as well, 30:59 the rest of the Israelites. 31:01 And this is what He said to Jeremiah, 31:03 I have loved you, talking to the Israelites, 31:05 "I have loved you with an everlasting love, 31:08 therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you." 31:12 And, of course, God spoke to Jeremiah in Hebrew 31:16 because that's the language 31:17 which they used at the time but, you know, 31:20 when the scholars in Alexandria 31:23 in 70 BC translated the Bible, 31:28 the scrolls of Jeremiah into Greek, 31:32 the scholars translated in this way. 31:35 I have loved you with an everlasting Agape love. 31:40 Everlasting Agape love. 31:41 That's what Jeremiah was saying. 31:43 God never stopped loving the Israelites 31:46 even while they were worshipping 31:48 the Baal idols, the Ashtoreth 31:50 and all of the idols of the Canaanites. 31:52 God never stopped loving the Israelites 31:55 when they went into exile in Babylon. 31:58 God never stopped loving the Israelites, you know, 32:01 the dregs of the Israelites who stayed in Jerusalem 32:03 who were living a subsistent life back there, 32:07 just struggling to make ends meet. 32:10 God has always loved His people with an Agape love. 32:15 It's been incredible and then God went home 32:18 to tell the Israelites through Jeremiah. 32:21 He said, "Behold, I will bring them 32:23 from the north country and gather them 32:24 from the farthest parts of the earth, 32:27 among them the blind and the lame," 32:29 isn't that incredible? 32:30 "The pregnant woman 32:32 and she who is in labor, together, 32:33 a great company, they shall return here. 32:36 With weeping they shall come and with pleas for mercy, 32:39 I will lead them back, 32:40 I will make them walk by brooks of water, 32:43 in a straight path 32:44 in which they shall not stumble, 32:46 for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn." 32:51 This will be the greatest homecoming ever, right? 32:55 The greatest homecoming of God's people. 33:00 But God still understands, 33:04 He knows what's going on in our hearts. 33:06 He knows what's going on in their hearts as well. 33:09 He even has to say we're thinking of those words, 33:12 because God went on to say this to Jeremiah. 33:14 He said this, "Thus says the Lord: 33:18 'A voice is heard in Ramah, 33:20 lamentation and bitter weeping. 33:23 Rachel is weeping for her children, 33:25 she refuses to be comforted for her children, 33:28 because they are no more.'" 33:32 And my question for you today is this. 33:36 Do you weep for your children? 33:40 Do you know that some of your children, 33:44 and maybe children of your friends 33:47 have wandered away spiritually? 33:50 Is that a reality in your life and your family? 33:53 You know, do you wish that 33:55 not only was this your homecoming, 33:58 but you wish for a homecoming 34:00 for your children or your grandchildren, 34:03 or your friends or the people that you love. 34:06 Do you wish they could be here with you today and on the day 34:11 when we're travelling through space? 34:12 Is that on your hearts today? 34:15 Because I want to say to you, 34:16 God has a message for you today. 34:19 Isn't that amazing? God has a message. 34:21 He says this, "Thus says the Lord: 34:22 'Keep your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears, 34:26 for there is a reward for your work, 34:29 declares the Lord, 34:30 and they shall come back from the land of the enemy.'" 34:33 And He goes on to say this. 34:35 He says, "There is hope 34:37 for your future, declares the Lord, 34:39 and your children shall come back 34:40 to their own country." 34:42 Isn't this an amazing promise? Isn't just incredible? 34:46 You know, because of God's great love, 34:49 His Agape love, 34:51 God is promising you and your family, your children 34:54 and your grandchildren a hope and a future. 34:59 And how does God do it? 35:01 In the same chapter that we read in Jeremiah, 35:04 God actually goes on to show, how He is gonna do it. 35:08 He is going to make a new covenant with His people, 35:11 a new covenant. 35:13 And He says this, "For this is the covenant 35:15 that I will make with the house of Israel," 35:17 and that's including us, "after those days, 35:19 declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, 35:22 I will make it so that they follow my laws, 35:25 and I will write it on their hearts. 35:27 I will be their God and they shall be my people." 35:31 And He says, goes on to say, 35:33 "No longer shall each one teaches his neighbor 35:35 and each his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' 35:38 for they shall all know me, from the least of them 35:40 to the greatest, declares the Lord. 35:42 For I will forgive their iniquity 35:44 and I will remember their sin no more.'" 35:47 You know, it's an amazing covenant. 35:50 This is a new covenant. 35:52 This is not a second-hand covenant 35:54 that you inherit 35:55 from your grandparents or your parents. 35:57 You can't be a nominal Adventist 36:00 or a nominal Christian. 36:01 This is a first-hand covenant. 36:03 This is a covenant 36:05 that you get personally with God. 36:07 We'll each know God personally. 36:09 Isn't that incredible? 36:10 We'll each know Him for ourselves. 36:13 God will forgive our iniquities. 36:15 He will remember our sins no more. 36:18 Isn't that beautiful? 36:20 And how is God going to 36:22 establish this new covenant with us? 36:25 How is God going to do it? 36:27 Well, that brings us 36:28 to one of the most beautiful love stories 36:31 this world has ever known. 36:34 It begins in the darkest of nights 36:36 because prophecy tells us, 36:38 "Satan had been working to make the gulf deep 36:42 and impassable between earth and heaven. 36:46 By his falsehoods he had emboldened men in sin. 36:51 It was his purpose to wear out the forbearance of God, 36:54 and to extinguish His love for man, 36:56 so that He would abandon 36:57 the world to satanic jurisdiction. 37:01 Satan was seeking to shut out from men a knowledge of God, 37:05 to turn their attention from the temple of God, 37:07 and to establish his own kingdom. 37:09 The dark shadow that Satan 37:12 had cast over the world grew deeper and deeper." 37:16 This was the darkest, darkest hour. 37:19 And, you know, all of the inhabitants 37:23 of beings on another planets were watching so intensely 37:27 because prophecy tells us, 37:29 "With intense interest the unfallen worlds 37:32 had watched to see Jehovah rise, 37:34 and sweep away the inhabitants of the world, of the earth. 37:40 But instead of destroying the world, 37:43 God sent His Son to save it." 37:47 You know, as Apostle Paul tells us 37:50 when he was writing to the church in Galatia, 37:54 the churches in Galatia. 37:55 He said, "But when the fullness of time had come, 37:58 God sent forth his Son, 37:59 born of a woman, born under the law, 38:02 to redeem those who were under the law, 38:04 so that we might receive adoption as sons." 38:07 Isn't it beautiful? 38:09 And the curtains of prophecy 38:11 have been drawn aside for us to see even more clearly 38:14 what we have here. 38:16 And it goes on to say, 38:18 "But through every age and through every hour, 38:22 the love of God had been exercised 38:25 towards the fallen race. 38:27 Notwithstanding the perversity of men, 38:30 the signals of mercy had been continually exhibited. 38:34 And when the fullness of time had come, 38:36 the Deity was glorified 38:38 by pouring upon the world a flood 38:41 of healing grace that was never to be obstructed 38:45 or withdrawn till the plan of salvation 38:48 should be fulfilled." 38:50 What an incredible, incredible story. 38:52 You know they are floods of love and grace, 38:56 a flood of Agape love. 38:59 You know, this story takes us back. 39:02 It takes us back to a little house 39:05 in a small Galilean village called Nazareth. 39:10 You know, this is no upper-class 39:13 suburb of Sydney or Melbourne or Brisbane. 39:17 You know, this is not the royal quarters 39:19 of Buckingham Palace or The White House. 39:23 You know, this is just a rough part of the hood 39:29 as they'd say in the States. 39:30 This is the place where the fishermen, 39:33 where the carpenters 39:35 and the tax collectors live and do their work. 39:40 This is where the story starts 39:43 and we're standing there in the living room, 39:46 as we see a, 39:50 just a young teenage Jewish girl 39:52 just preparing some falafels 39:54 and hummus and pita bread just preparing for lunch. 39:58 And suddenly in the room 40:00 there is this intense white light, 40:02 this supernatural presence. 40:05 You know, Mary's heart pounds and as she spins around, 40:09 she sees that there is an angel in the corner of the room. 40:14 You know, the angel says to her, 40:16 "Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you." 40:21 The Lord is with you. 40:23 What an incredible message, 40:26 the message from the new covenant 40:28 that God is with us. 40:32 God was with Mary as well. 40:35 O daughter of Abraham, the new covenant 40:37 is going to be fulfilled with you. 40:40 Of course, Mary was understandably 40:42 and very visibly shaken. 40:44 What does it all mean? 40:45 How could all this be possible? What's going on? 40:48 Why I am being singled out 40:50 to be the recipient of this message? 40:53 So the angel goes on to explain. 40:56 "Do not be afraid, Mary, 40:57 for you have found favor with God. 41:00 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, 41:04 and you shall call his name Jesus. 41:07 He will be great 41:09 and will be called the Son of the Most High. 41:12 And the Lord God will give to him 41:13 the throne of his father David, and he will reign 41:17 over the house of Jacob forever, 41:19 and of his kingdom there will be no end." 41:21 This is the Son that God promised 41:24 Eve would conquer the serpent, right? 41:27 This is the Son that God promised to David 41:30 would be always one to rule on His throne. 41:34 This is the king that Daniel was promised by an angel 41:39 that there would come a king and his kingdom 41:44 that would never be destroyed. 41:47 This is the person. 41:49 This is the Messiah, come to save us from our sins. 41:56 And that begins the life 41:58 of the most amazing person this world has ever seen. 42:03 You know, this life, 42:05 this life is Agape love incarnate, 42:09 Agape love in the flesh. 42:13 And the beauty of His character 42:15 could be seen right from when He was born, 42:19 even when He was a boy, even when He was a child, 42:23 the inspired pen tells us what His life was like. 42:28 It says in the beautiful commentary of Desire of Ages, 42:32 it says, "Jesus was the fountain 42:33 of healing mercy for the world, 42:36 and through all those secluded years," 42:39 the years that we don't have a good record of in the Bible, 42:44 but we do know that it's true, 42:46 "His life flowed out in currents 42:49 of sympathy and tenderness. 42:51 The aged, the sorrowing, and the sin burdened, 42:57 the children at play in their innocent joy, 43:00 the little creatures of the groves, 43:02 the patient beasts of burden, 43:05 all were happier for His presence." 43:07 Wouldn't that be amazing? 43:08 Wouldn't you have loved to just spend time 43:11 in the presence of Jesus? 43:13 You know, He whose word of power 43:15 upheld the worlds would stoop to relieve a wounded bird. 43:18 There was nothing beneath His notice, 43:21 nothing to which He disdained to minister." 43:24 You know, imagine this that Jesus 43:27 is upholding planets in His hand, 43:31 but He is reaching down to pick up a wounded bird. 43:34 Isn't that a beautiful picture? 43:38 You know, it said what an incredible love. 43:40 What a beautiful Agape love. 43:43 But the fact is this, it was not only the love 43:47 that Jesus had when He was a young person, 43:50 it was also the love that Jesus had when He became, 43:55 entered into His public ministry 43:57 because the flood of grace and mercy 44:00 and Agape love continued to widen 44:03 and extend even during His ministry. 44:07 You know, it's incredible 44:08 that Jesus would travel to villages. 44:12 And people would just flood to hear this amazing man. 44:17 And they would flood to Him 44:19 because they wanted to be healed, 44:20 they wanted to hear Him. 44:22 And, you know, Jesus would spend time 44:24 in that village during His ministry of healing. 44:27 He would spend time from dawn all the way to dusk. 44:31 You know, and people would then go home, 44:33 they would retire to their beds, 44:35 they'd so amazed 44:36 by their new found physical abilities. 44:40 But where would Jesus be? 44:43 Jesus would go up to a mountain side to pray. 44:46 He'd go up to mountain side 44:48 to pray all night and what was He praying for? 44:52 He was praying for more power, more power to heal. 44:56 What an incredible, incredible person. 44:59 You know, the Spirit of Prophecy 45:00 tells us that by the time 45:02 that Jesus would leave a village, 45:05 there would be not one single sick person 45:07 left in that village. 45:09 Isn't that incredible? 45:10 And my question for you today is this. 45:13 Would you love Jesus to come and visit your town, 45:17 your suburb, your retirement village? 45:20 Would you love Jesus to come to you? 45:23 It's an incredible, incredible thought. 45:25 But, of course, it was not only that, 45:26 it was not only His healing ministry, 45:29 it was also His incredible preaching ministry. 45:32 Jesus says that He healed people 45:35 and then He told them about Kingdom of God. 45:37 And remember that day when one day 45:39 there was thousands of people coming to, 45:41 flocking to hear Him, 45:43 and they came up to the mountain side 45:45 to hear His message, a message 45:48 which turned the world upside down. 45:50 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, 45:53 for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." 45:55 Incredible, you know, 45:56 they spent hours just listening to Him. 45:59 And there was another time when He was preaching 46:01 and they had listened so intently 46:05 that by the end of the day 46:06 they realize we haven't had food all day. 46:09 And the disciples came to Him and said, 46:11 "We've got to do something. 46:12 All of these people are running out of energy. 46:14 They don't have food to eat." 46:18 And then Jesus would take lunch box, 46:20 a lunch box of a young man. 46:22 Simply five loaves and two fishes, 46:25 and be able to feed thousands of people. 46:28 It's a beautiful, incredible story 46:32 but, you know, growing up in Nazareth 46:35 and ministering in Galilee 46:37 was not the lowest point that Jesus descended to. 46:41 The reality is this that His love for humanity took Him 46:45 much, much further than that. 46:47 It took Him all the way to rock bottom. 46:51 As Apostle Paul tells 46:52 the Christian believers in Philippi. 46:55 He says this, "And being found in human form, 46:59 He humbled Himself by becoming obedient 47:02 to the point of death, even death on the cross." 47:07 And I want to invite you to come with me, 47:10 as we join a throne of noisy 47:13 and bloodthirsty people, gathering there 47:17 on the cobblestone streets of Jerusalem 47:20 that Friday morning. 47:22 You know, someone is coming down the streets. 47:26 Someone is coming down the streets. 47:29 And, you know, there's shouts of this angry Roman soldiers. 47:33 As Roman soldiers trying 47:34 to push people aside to make way 47:37 but, of course, what people do 47:39 is they just find another free space to move into. 47:43 You know, they desperately 47:45 want to see the man condemned to die on Calvary. 47:50 And then finally we see the man, it's Jesus. 47:55 It's Jesus, that little boy, 47:57 who would Take his own lunch box, 48:00 and if there was a young hungry child, 48:03 He would give the lunch 48:06 and His drink of water to that child. 48:08 It's Jesus, the young man 48:10 who even though He knew from the age of 12 that 48:14 He was going to carry the weight 48:15 of the salvation of the world upon His shoulders, 48:18 never missed an opportunity to be able to go up 48:21 to someone who is way down by worry, 48:24 by anxiety and by sin to give them encouraging words. 48:28 You know, this is the great physician 48:30 who could touch a blind man's eyes 48:32 and restore sight. 48:34 This is the great and powerful preacher, 48:37 who could keep people thousands of people on the edge 48:42 of their grassy seats for hours and hours. 48:46 This is Jesus. 48:49 It's Jesus who is bent double underneath 48:53 that rough Roman cross. 48:56 It's Jesus. 48:58 "He was bleeding from a beating. 49:01 There were stripes upon His back. 49:03 And He wore a crown upon His head, 49:07 and He bore with every step the scorn 49:10 of those who cried out for His death. 49:14 Down the Via Dolorosa call the way of suffering 49:19 like a lamb came the Christ Messiah the King. 49:24 But He chose to walk that road 49:26 'cause of His love for you and me 49:31 down the Via Dolorosa 49:34 all the way to Calvary. 49:36 That's love. 49:39 That's Agape love. 49:41 That's God's love for sinful people 49:45 like you and I. 49:47 That's the love 49:49 we've all been searching for all through our lives. 49:52 Let's pray. 49:54 Father in heaven, 49:55 I just want to thank You so much. 49:57 I want to thank You so much for Your care 50:00 not only from way back in creation, 50:03 where we see 50:05 You forming this world in a tremendous creation week, 50:10 where we see 50:12 You creating those magnetic fields 50:15 and a magnetic shield. 50:18 Lord, we see You creating the moon 50:20 and the stars and the sun. 50:22 Lord, it's a beautiful, beautiful story. 50:25 But, Father, we want to recognize that 50:28 we wandered away from You. 50:31 Our forefathers, our foremothers 50:33 made the decision to not trust You, 50:37 to doubt Your love, and picked that fruit 50:41 from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. 50:44 Lord, we've been suffering ever since, 50:47 we truly, truly have. 50:49 But, Lord, out of Your great Agape love, 50:53 you come down to us, 50:55 you find us, you are looking for us, 50:58 where are you is Your call. 51:01 And, Father, I just want to thank You 51:04 to down through the centuries 51:05 that You recorded messages of love. 51:09 I have loved you 51:10 with an everlasting love, an Agape love. 51:13 And, Father, I just wanna pray 51:16 that every person here today 51:18 would be able to understand that message, 51:21 would be able to hear 51:22 the voice of Your Holy Spirit speaking to them 51:26 that You want to make a covenant, 51:28 a new covenant, a personal covenant 51:30 with each and every one of us. 51:32 Father, I want to pray that 51:33 we might be able to walk in Your Agape love, 51:38 confident in Your love 51:39 with the ability to grow and flourish. 51:44 Father, most of all, we want to thank You 51:46 even though this world was captive in the hands 51:50 and the grip of sin and Satan, 51:52 that You stepped into our world. 51:55 Father, that You sent Your only Son 51:57 to walk in our midst to win us back, 52:01 to love us with an Agape love. 52:04 And, Father, I just want to thank you, 52:05 we look at the cross, 52:06 we stand at the foot of the cross, 52:08 we kneel at the cross. 52:11 Lord, we want to cry out to You, 52:13 thank You for this love. 52:16 We love because You first loved us. 52:19 Lord, fill us with Your Holy Spirit, 52:20 transform us and, 52:22 Lord, we look forward to that homecoming 52:24 where we are able to join with Your angels 52:27 and to sing forever more beside the sea of glass. 52:31 But, Lord, we also want to pray. 52:34 We wanna pray for our friends and neighbors, 52:37 our work colleagues. 52:38 We wanna pray for our children, our grandchildren. 52:42 Lord, we want them to be there as well. 52:45 Lord, may You continue to search for them as well. 52:49 Lord, may You continue to seek us. 52:52 Lord, may You surround us by Your Agape love, 52:56 the love that we have been searching 52:58 for all these years. 53:00 Thank you. Thank you for Your love. 53:03 Thank You for surrounding us, 53:05 lifting us up like that wounded bird. 53:07 Lord, we look forward to seeing you face to face. 53:10 What a day of rejoicing that will be, 53:14 is our prayer in the powerful and wonderful name of Jesus. 53:19 Amen. Amen. 53:25 Thank you so much, Dr. Sven, 53:29 for that wonderful sermon on the love of God. 53:33 I took my notes of his sermon. 53:35 I hope that you are all going to do the same. 53:38 It's worthwhile taking notes 53:39 because then you can go over and over again. 53:42 The Agape love of God 53:45 that He would not only search for us, 53:47 but He would send His Son to die for us 53:50 so that we can be with Him forever. 53:52 Well, this is our first chapter of the book, 53:56 Steps to Christ in our 3ABN Australia Homecoming 2020. 54:00 Stick around for our second chapter 54:02 with Pastor Mike Browning, 54:04 and I know that you will be blessed 54:06 by watching every one of these. 54:08 God bless you. |
Revised 2021-01-22