Participants:
Series Code: NP
Program Code: NP190622A
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00:09 >> Let's bow our heads and pray. Dear Heavenly Father, we just want to thank you for this 00:14 blessed day. Thank you that of the Sabbath, and that you have brought us 00:18 here today. And we just ask that you be with us during this time as we learn 00:22 more about you and worship together. In Jesus' name, amen. 00:27 So, this morning, I just have a question for you. 00:32 Are you glad that it is Sabbath? >> Yes. 00:35 >> Are you glad that it is Sabbath? 00:37 >> Yes. >> Amen. So, I'm gonna try 00:39 something real quick. It's a song that we all probably 00:42 know. Song goes... 00:44 ♪ Hallelu, hallelu, hallelu, hallelujah ♪ 00:48 >> ♪ Praise ye the Lord 00:51 >> ♪ Hallelu, hallelu, hallelu, hallelujah ♪ >> ♪ Praise ye the Lord 00:58 >> ♪ Praise ye ♪ Hallelujah >> ♪ Praise ye the Lord 01:04 >> ♪ Hallelujah >> ♪ Praise ye the Lord >> ♪ Hallelujah 01:09 ♪ Praise ye the Lord Amen, and that is what we're here to do, to praise the Lord. 01:16 So, as we start to sing this opening song as a prayer that says, "God, come live in me, 01:22 take over all that is going on in my life," we just want to say thank you, Lord, and praise Him. 01:27 So please stand with us as we sing. [ "Eagle's Wings" begins ] 04:40 You may be seated. [ "Before the Throne of God 04:45 Above" begins ] 08:55 Amen. 08:58 I just want you to think of a verse, of a promise, your favorite one that you see in the 09:04 Bible, or one that you have memorized, one that you hold onto in times of trouble or when 09:12 you need comfort or when you just want to say, "Thank you, Lord." 09:15 Though they may be ancient words, they still apply to us today because they are God's 09:20 words, and they are His promises for today, for you and for me. So as we sing this song, just 09:27 think of that promise that he has for you, and I just invite you to stand as we sing. 09:34 [ "Ancient Words" begins ] 12:56 >> Well, good morning, boys and girls. Nice to see you. 12:59 Is this really the first Sabbath of summer? Whoa! 13:04 What a beautiful day Jesus has given us. Thank you, Pastor José, and 13:09 welcome, children. Nice to see you. You're looking pretty refreshed. 13:13 Anybody miss school yet? [ Laughter ] Good. 13:16 Well, your teachers are watching. That's good. 13:18 They're very happy that you miss school. Nice to see all of you. 13:23 So, I got a story that happened just yesterday. I heard it on the radio. 13:26 I said, "Ooh, I got to see if that really happened. It did, so I'm gonna tell it to 13:31 you. Come on up, kids. 13:33 Okay, so this happened over in Boston just a few days ago -- 13:36 Boston. Anybody know where Boston is? 13:38 Yep, where is it? >> It's in Massachusetts. 13:40 >> Massachusetts to the head of the class. 13:42 It happened in Boston. A little family named the 13:44 Shanahan family. Now, there's a good Irish name 13:46 for you. They're living outside Boston. 13:48 They have a pet bulldog. 13:52 You ever seen a bulldog? Has the big cheeks. [ Warbling ] 13:56 That's that bulldog, just slobbering everywhere. [ Warbling ] 14:00 They have a pet bulldog named Mortimer. Hmm. 14:05 Mortimer, Mortimer. And they have two little kids. So, the little kids -- Here, 14:12 I'll take that for you. Bless your heart, thank you. They have two little kids. 14:17 [ Laughter ] Two little kids and the bulldog, and all the children just love 14:22 that 'cause they're just little kids, like you. Oh, they just love their 14:26 bulldog, but back in April, something happened. Bulldog Mortimer, [warbles] he 14:32 was acting like he was sick. What's up with that? I mean, something's bothering 14:37 him, so they take him to a veterinarian -- Angell Animal Medical Center. 14:43 Oh, I like that name. The Angell Animal Medical Center. 14:46 They take the -- "This is our dog, Mortimer. Can you check him out? 14:49 He's not feeling well at all, we can just tell. Look at his eyes. 14:51 Oh, he looks sick." So, the veterinarian, the doctor for animals, looked at little 14:56 Mortimer. He said, "Mortimer, mm-hmm. Oh, I know what you need." 15:00 He went and got a little pad, he wrote this down, he said, "Here's some pills. 15:03 If you need more, call me. These pills will make him better." 15:06 That was back in April. He didn't get better. He didn't get better at all. 15:10 He got worse. Just last week, they finally said, "Look, he's refusing to 15:14 eat now. He won't eat a bite of food. [ Scoffs ] 15:20 Okay, back to the hospital we go." So, Emily, the mother, she takes 15:24 little Mortimer. [ Warbles ] She takes him back to the 15:27 veterinarian. He said, "Ah, you're back again. Didn't work, huh? 15:30 [ Inhales sharply ] Oh, that's too bad. Let's see. 15:33 Well, you know what, we're gonna have to look in his stomach, mm-hmm," because that's what 15:37 they do if you're sick to your stomach and they don't know what to do. 15:40 So they put Mortimer to sleep. So, get this. They put Mortimer to sleep. 15:45 Shh. [ Whispering ] They put Mortimer to sleep. 15:47 Don't wake him up. They put him to sleep. [ Normal voice ] Then they put a 15:51 tube down his throat, and the veterinarian said, "Okay, mm-hmm. 15:55 What?! [ Chuckles ] No!" 16:00 Said, "Hey, nurse. Come on over here. No! Take a look at this. 16:07 What do you see?" She gets up there, she looks in. "No! 16:14 It can't be. Yo, hey, come over here. Look inside of Mortimer." 16:19 "No! Well, there's only one solution to this. 16:26 Here we go. Roll up your sleeves. We go. 16:30 And...got it. Get -- You got it now? Good, okay. 16:35 Here's the next one. Got it! Pull it, pull it, pull it, pull 16:39 it. You got it?" By the time they were through, I 16:43 got a real picture of Mortimer the bulldog outside of Boston, Massachusetts, still asleep with 16:49 the tube down his throat. You see that tube down his throat? 16:56 That's how they got that little scope in there, mm-hmm. Do you see what's in front of 17:00 him? What's that in front of Mortimer, those green things? 17:06 Yeah, those are binkies. Those are pacifiers. You got it. 17:11 We called them pacies in our house. Look at that. 17:16 Do you know how many are there? 19. 19 paci-- Look at him. 17:22 No wonder he's sound asleep. 19 pacifiers. They figured out that he went 17:26 around with these little children and when he saw a pacifier, he said, "I'll have 17:30 that. [ Chomping, swallows ] Ahh!" 17:33 And he swallowed 19 of them, and the family said, "Honey, where's that pacifier? 17:37 He just had it an..." And they keep buying the same kind. 17:40 Notice they stick to one brand. [ Laughs ] Isn't that something? 17:46 Mortimer the bulldog, [warbles] he's filled with pacifiers. But listen, kids. 17:52 It's not what goes into your stomach that counts. It's what comes out of you that 17:56 counts. Hey, do you go to Sabbath school? 17:59 >> Yes. >> Oh, we got a long walk that we have to make to get to 18:01 Sabbath school now, don't we? To get to church, yep. But you're so good and we got 18:05 wonderful teachers. They're teaching you over there. So, do you go to Sabbath school? 18:08 Yep. Do they tell you about Jesus? Yep. Do you come to church? 18:11 Yes, you do. I see you. Do you have family worship? Oh, good. 18:15 Do you have stories of Jesus? Yep. Hey, kids, shh, shh, shh, shh. 18:20 Hey, kids, we got all the stories of Jesus inside of us, but we never take them out. 18:23 Jesus says, "If I put them in there, you got to take them out. You don't leave them in. 18:27 You'll get sick if you leave them in. You got to let them come out 18:30 through your mouth by telling others about me." Tell Jesus' stories to your 18:34 friends. Tell your friends, "I just love Jesus, and I wish you would love 18:38 him, too." In fact, in a few weeks, bring your friend to church. 18:42 Bring a Friend to Church Day, August 31. You're gonna bring a friend. 18:46 "Just come. I want you to meet Jesus." You can't keep it inside of you. 18:51 You got to let it out. That's the lesson of Mortimer the bulldog from Boston. 18:57 Who would like to thank Jesus for not only putting good things inside of us, but asking that 19:02 those good things come out from us? My man. 19:08 Come on up. What's your first name? What? 19:11 >> Ian. >> Ian? All right. Come on, Deacon Dan. 19:15 No, it's Uncle Dan. This is Uncle Dan. Thank you very much. 19:19 Boys and girls, we're gonna bow together. Shh. We're gonna pray. 19:23 Close your eyes as Ian thanks Jesus for giving us good things to share. 19:29 >> Let's pray. Our Father in heaven, thank you. Please bless us as we learn 19:33 about your word and be in touch with Jesus, amen. >> Amen, Ian. Thank you. 19:37 And amen to you, boys and girls, as you go back to your seats to Mommy, to Daddy. 19:42 May you have a blessed first Sabbath of summer day. Amen. 19:51 >> I'd like to share with you some words to go along with the music that I'm about to play for 19:54 you. "I'm just a poor wayfaring stranger. 19:58 I'm traveling through this world below. There is no sickness, toil, nor 20:03 danger in that bright world to which I go. I'm going there to see my 20:08 savior, who shed for me his precious blood. I'm just a-going over Jordan. 20:13 I'm just a-going over home." 20:29 [ "Wayfaring Stranger" begins ] 20:32 ♪♪ ♪♪ 20:52 ♪♪ ♪♪ 21:12 ♪♪ ♪♪ 21:31 ♪♪ ♪♪ 21:51 ♪♪ ♪♪ 22:10 ♪♪ ♪♪ 22:30 ♪♪ ♪♪ 22:50 ♪♪ 23:03 >> I want to do one little pastoral matter before we plunge 23:07 into our teaching today. 23:11 A young freshman came to us and said, "Hey, I want to help out with this PowerPoint business." 23:20 "What's your major?" "Engineering." "Good." 23:23 Signed him up. 23:25 He did it all through his freshman year. 23:28 Came back after the summer, said, "I want to do it again." 23:30 All right. All through his sophomore year, 23:32 came back after the summer, said, "I want to do it again." 23:35 Did it all through his junior year. Came back after his summer and 23:39 said, "I want to do it again." And he did it all through his senior year. 23:42 He just graduated like a month ago. And today is his last time, 23:49 because the engineer's moving to the Pacific Northwest where he's gonna be an engineer for God. 23:56 So proud of him. His name is Michael Bryson. You never see him. 24:00 He sits behind that glass, Pioneer, here, wherever. But he's been counting, and as 24:07 it turns out, today is his 50th time partnering with the preacher. 24:12 I want you to put your hands together for this man who's leaving us next week. 24:16 He's leaving. He's leaving. Thank you, Michael. 24:19 Right behind the glass. [ Applause ] Wow. 24:26 I tell you what, college students are amazing. You can't believe them. 24:29 They got every reason in the book not to be involved, but they ask to be involved. 24:33 All the operators here. They're all college students. Sabbath school's college 24:39 students. We're proud of them, so thank you, Michael. 24:43 Let's pray. God, we're all wayfaring strangers. 24:46 Yes, we are. That's what an exile is. Oh, what does that mean for us 24:53 in the third millennium, third millennial exiles that we are? Speak to us, teach us. 25:00 We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. 25:03 So, I pulled my wallet out just now, and inside my wallet, I 25:09 have something very precious. It does not belong to me. 25:12 I was told, "Listen, you do not do anything with that except get 25:15 it back to me, or else," and I didn't want to ask what the "or 25:19 else" means, but I have it right here in my hand. 25:21 It's in a special protective cover. 25:24 Can you see it up there? Mm-hmm. [ Whooshing ] 25:30 I'm not supposed to let you know who it belongs to, see? You know what this is? 25:35 This is a green card. You ever seen a green card? It's not green. 25:43 [ Laughter ] First time -- it's a clue to me. I always thought they were green 25:46 cards. Do you know what this card says? This card has all the authority 25:52 of the United States government behind it, and the government says to the bearer of this card 25:56 if the facsimile on the front is fairly similar to you and the name matches, this card allows 26:01 you permanent residence in the United States of America until you die. 26:08 Welcome home. Sort of. Because you can't have a green 26:13 card if you're a citizen. So, you're not a citizen. But it's a very big deal. 26:21 Right after church, we have campus security that will transfer the card back to the 26:24 owner. Just kidding. [ Laughter ] 26:29 Yo, question, question. Did -- Got to make sure, 'cause this is a protective that says, 26:37 "This will protect your card electronically from anybody trying to zip material out of 26:42 it." Question -- did Jesus have a green card? 26:49 Did Jesus have a green card? Answer -- no. He did not apply for permanent 26:53 residency in the United States of America. Yeah, but question number two. 26:58 Did he have a green card from Palestine? Answer -- nope. 27:02 Because when he was born, he was born a citizen of the land. However, if the people had known 27:11 he was from another kingdom, which, of course, he was, he'd have been in huge trouble, 27:16 which, of course, he is. Right now in John chapter 18. Open your Bible to the book of 27:21 John chapter 18. Oh, this is an awful, awful, awful way to begin the morning. 27:28 The Roman procurator is ticked to high heavens, his peaceful slumber rudely interrupted by a 27:36 clamoring crowd of prelates and priests who are gathered at the governor's mansion's front door. 27:42 They won't touch this filthy pagan's ground. They're angry. 27:49 He can hear them from here, the bedroom, and they're demanding that the governor, right now, 27:55 take this prisoner who's claiming to be king of the Jews. "We want him executed 27:59 [snaps fingers] now, immediately." Pilate's angry, as you would be. 28:07 He looks at the gagged and bound prisoner, [snaps fingers] and just motions him. 28:11 "Follow me. Get away from these guys." He's ungagged now, and that's 28:17 where the story picks up. You already have your Bible open to John 18. 28:20 I'll be in the NIV today. 28:23 Verse 33 -- "Pilate went back inside then," inside the palace, 28:28 "and he summoned Jesus and he asked him, 'Are you the king of 28:33 the Jews?' 'Is that your own idea,' Jesus 28:37 said, 'or did others tell you about me?'" 28:41 [ Laughs ] "'Am I a Jew? 28:44 Your people, your leaders have delivered you to me. 28:46 What is it you have done to them? 28:49 My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my disciples would 28:54 fight for me. No, my kingdom -- my kingdom is 29:00 from another place.'" There it is, the second-clearest 29:05 self-revelation, self-expression of Jesus, declaring himself to 29:13 be an exile from far, far away. 29:23 Episode today, the title -- "A Very Long Ways from Home." Hmm. 29:31 Wrap it all up next week. "Cadences of Home: In Exile." In the Gospels, this red-letter 29:42 line is the second-clearest expression of who he really is. Lee Beach in his book. 29:49 Put the words on the screen for you. 29:52 His book, "The Church in Exile: Living in Hope After 29:54 Christendom." Lee Beach writing... 30:16 But his startling words to the Pagan governor are not simply an admission of his Jewishness. 30:23 They are a declaration. The governor cannot comprehend it, that he is of another 30:30 kingdom, an eternal kingdom. So, let's run through them. There are only four of these. 30:37 The four clearest that ever came from Jesus' lips -- self-expressions, 30:41 self-revelations that, in fact, "I have a pre-existence, and I am an exile here. 30:46 This is not my home." Four of them. And as it turns out, all four of 30:51 them are in the fourth Gospel. You won't find any clearer than these four, and they're all in 30:55 the fourth Gospel, so let's go with clue number one. Clue number one. 30:59 He's just forgiven a woman caught in the very act of adultery with a man not her 31:05 husband. The hierarchy has been working for months to somehow trap and 31:11 shut up this young teacher/healer. They think they have him today. 31:17 "Moses' Law," as they throw the girl at his feet. "Moses' Law says stone them. 31:23 What say you?" Oh, it's one of those if he says stone her, they got them. 31:28 They win. If he says, "Don't stone her, let her go," they win. 31:31 One of those, "Heads, I win, tails, you lose" propositions. Without answering them at all, 31:39 Jesus stoops over and begins to write in the dust of the temple floor. 31:44 Curious, the hierarchy gather around him, like, "What's the boy writing? 31:47 What's he writing?" And they're watching, and suddenly, their faces go ashen. 31:51 The sacred sins of their private lives are carved into the [blows] soon to be erased dust 31:58 of the temple marble. And one ancient witness declares that beginning with the eldest 32:05 to the youngest, tails tucked between their legs, they walk away until it's only Jesus and 32:12 the woman and the crowd that has not breathed yet. "What's he gonna say to her?" 32:19 We got to find out. We were in John 18. Let's go back to John 8. 32:24 Just go back to John 8. 10 pages back. Drop down to verse 10. 32:31 John 8:10. 32:42 Hit the pause button right there, because what you are about to hear -- you need to 32:47 know this. What you are about to hear is the actual gospel of our Lord 32:53 Jesus Christ. This will not be the gospel of Peter, it will not be the gospel 32:55 of Paul, it will not be the gospel of John or of David in the Psalms or of Isaiah. 33:01 This is the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, the one that the Samaritans proclaimed to be the 33:06 savior of the world. This is his gospel, so what you're about to read is his 33:11 gospel, right? 33:13 Verse 11 again. "'No one, sir, has condemned 33:17 me,' she said. 'Then neither do I condemn 33:18 you,' Jesus declared. 33:21 'Go now and leave your life of sin.'" 33:27 There are some of you at this very moment who are struggling with a throttling, choking sense 33:38 of guilt. It hangs to you. It hangs on you like a ball and 33:46 a chain. You drag it everywhere. They say there's no softer 33:52 pillow than a clean conscience. And you haven't known that pillow in a while. 34:02 I need you, because I need to hear the words of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. 34:08 This is his gospel from his lips. "Neither do I condemn you. 34:15 Neither do I condemn you." Let's put that on the screen. "Neither do I condemn you -- now 34:22 go and leave your life of sin." No condemnation. "No, you got to leave it behind. 34:28 Come on. You're not gonna keep dragging that ball and chain with you, 34:31 are you? Let it go. I've unleashed, I've unloosed 34:34 it, that chain and that ball. Go. I don't condemn you." 34:41 Wow. It's the gospel. You say, "Dwight, there's a 34:46 little catch there." There's no catch. There's no catch in it at all. 34:50 You come to Jesus. That's the way he treats you. "I don't condemn you. 34:56 Come on, let's go. We got a life to live, you and me together, boy. 35:00 Let's go. Leave that behind you." And you do, and you sleep like a 35:05 baby. Good for you. Jesus has it for you. 35:08 All right, but anyway, this just makes the hierarchy furious, and there is an explosive debate 35:15 that immediately -- as soon as he speaks those words, immediately breaks out. 35:19 And in the clamor, they're trying to shout Jesus down, and in the midst of the shouting, 35:22 Jesus says, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! You will know the truth! 35:25 You will know the truth and the truth will set you free," and they shout him down some more. 35:28 Jesus said, "Listen, if the son sets you free, you be free, indeed. 35:31 I'm telling you, that ball and chain will not be with you." They shout him down again, and 35:37 then Jesus -- Oh, boy. [ Inhales sharply ] Did you have to? 35:40 Jesus mentions Abraham, and now he's in trouble. Go to the end of chapter 8. 35:47 Go to the end of chapter 8. Verse 56. Red letters again. 35:53 "'Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; 35:59 he saw it and was glad.'" Ha! "'You're not even 50 years 36:02 old,' they said to him, 'and you have seen Abraham!'" 36:05 Here it comes, verse 58. "'Very truly I tell you.'" 36:08 In the Greek it reads, "Amín, amín" -- literary device that 36:11 John uses and only John. When the two "amíns" appear, 36:14 sit up, because something huge is about to be said. 36:17 "'Amín, amín,' I say to you," Jesus says, "'before Abraham was 36:21 born, I am!' At this, they picked up stones 36:25 to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the 36:29 temple grounds." There it is. 36:30 Stunning clue number one to Jesus' pre-existence and his 36:34 exile status, now as a being from outside this world, from 36:37 his own lips. 36:39 "I am who I am." They got it. "Kill him." 36:48 Clue number one. Here comes clue number two. In the very next chapter, Jesus 36:53 heals a man born blind. Now, it's one thing to heal a man who's, you know, blindness 36:58 came over him as a child or as a teen, but he's got a man whose optic nerve has never worked in 37:04 history. [ Snaps fingers ] And the man now sees. 37:07 And the man's neighborhood goes bonkers with joy, and the hierarchy, they are spitting 37:12 nails. They are so ticked. They haul him in, the now-seeing 37:18 blind man. It's a nearly farcical kangaroo court. 37:22 Cross examination, as you well remember, of this now-seeing, 20/20 vision former blind man, 37:28 and a row erupts again. Jesus dramatically shifts metaphors from being the light 37:34 of the world to, "I'm the good shepherd." He's driving with everything he 37:39 has. There are only days left for him. 37:43 Go to the -- chapters 10 and 9 just flow together, so go to chapter 10, and drop down in 37:48 chapter 10 to verse 27. Red-letter words again. "'My sheep listen to my voice; 37:53 and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and 37:57 they shall never" -- double negative in the Greek -- "they shall no, not ever perish, 38:01 never; no one will snatch them out of my hand." You choose Jesus today, my 38:07 friend, whoever you are. You want that ball and chain gone. 38:10 When you choose Jesus, nobody, not the devil himself can snatch you out of that nail-scarred 38:15 hand. "Nobody can snatch him out of my hand." 38:20 "Oh, by the way," Jesus goes on, "My father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; and 38:24 no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand." Guess what. 38:28 "I and the Father [snaps fingers] are one." Here we go again. 38:33 "Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, 'Look, I 38:37 have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone 38:40 me?'" They reply, "'We are not stoning you for any good work, but for 38:44 blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.'" There it is, clue number two. 38:50 Clue number two. "The Father and I are one." Clue to Jesus' pre-existence and 38:58 his exile status. Now is a being from outside the world. 39:01 From his own lips, all right? There are only four of these. We saw the fourth to begin with, 39:05 so now there's number three, and number three, hands down, is the clearest expression from the 39:10 lips of our Christ, Jesus, to his exile and pre-existence status. 39:20 You say, "Dwight, come on. Time-out, time-out. Listen, I appreciate all these 39:24 little clues. You have forgotten -- You forgot the fourth gospel begins with a 39:29 mighty, majestic prologue. It starts with the words, 'In the beginning was the Word, and 39:34 the Word' -- you remember those words? And the Word was with God.'" 39:38 Okay, let's put them on the screen. 39:40 Oh, by the way, let's read these out loud together, come on. 39:42 I'll listen for you. 40:00 And who is this Word? Keep reading. 40:18 No, nobody's forgotten the majestic prologue to the fourth 40:22 Gospel, but remember, we're limiting ourselves, not to the 40:26 prologue, but to actually spoken by his own lips 40:30 self-expressions. There are four of them that 40:33 shine above every other gospel. Four of them all here in the 40:38 fourth Gospel. And now you've come to the 40:42 clearest, hands down. Hands down. 40:45 Come on, just turn a few pages over to chapter 17. 40:48 It's late, late, late Thursday night. 40:51 They're not in the upper room now. 40:52 They've already walked by the vineyard. 40:54 "I'm the vine, you're the branches. 40:55 Just stay connected with me, boys. 40:57 Girls, stay connected with me. You'll bear much fruit." 40:59 They've already been through all that, and now Jesus has a prayer 41:03 to pray, and only John, boy, records this prayer. 41:07 Only John. So, this is chapter 17, verse 1, 41:09 and "After Jesus said this," about the vine and all, "he 41:12 looked toward heaven and prayed: 'Father, the hour has come. 41:17 Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 41:20 For you granted him authority over all people that he might 41:23 give eternal life to all those you have given him. 41:25 Now,'" here comes that verse we love, "'Now this is eternal 41:29 life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, 41:32 whom you have sent,'" but that's not it, keep reading. 41:35 "'I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you 41:38 gave me to do.'" Now here it comes, the clearest 41:41 self-expression of his pre-existence and exilic status 41:46 on this planet. Here comes verse 5. 41:48 "'And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I 41:55 had with you before the world began.'" 42:02 You can't get any clearer than that. That's it. 42:04 "Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world 42:12 began, when it was just you and me, Father, before we even created the universe together, 42:16 when it was just you and me. That glory, I want you to surround me now with that glory. 42:21 I left that glory to come here. I'm coming back. Surround me with the glory that 42:25 you have." Whoa. That's it. 42:32 What are we supposed to say? Pre-existed? Are you kidding? Eternally pre-existed. 42:39 That's the truth of our Lord Jesus Christ. That once upon a time, the 42:45 throne that he occupied, one day, he's gone. "Where did he go?" 42:50 "I don't know." Simultaneously, in the womb of a little teenage girl, a Jewish 42:57 girl, he appears, unwatched and observed by the universe, but counting down the nine months 43:06 till that baby's born. It's like Paul, this ancient hymn that Paul records in 43:10 1 Timothy 3:16. Oh, you remember these words? "He appeared in the flesh, was 43:15 vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed 43:20 on the world, was taken up in glory." The great divine human capital 43:26 "E" Exile. We just met him. There he is. 43:32 Clue four. Clue four. [ Chuckles ] 43:39 "So tell me. Are you the king of the Jews?" "You asking that because you're 43:46 curious, or somebody said something about me to you?" [ Chuckles ] 43:52 "You think I'm a Jew? Your own people, your own leaders brought you in to me. 43:57 What did you do to them?" "Ah, my kingdom is not of this world. 44:04 If my kingdom were of this world, my followers would fight for me. 44:09 No, my kingdom is from another place." And then notice what he says. 44:16 We got to go back to 18, so that's one page. 44:18 Just to 18 again. We'll pick it up in verse 36. 44:21 John 18:36, Jesus says to Pilate, "'My kingdom is not of 44:24 this world. If it were, my servants would 44:26 fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. 44:28 But now my kingdom is from another place.' 44:31 [ Laughs ] 'You are a king, then, aren't 44:34 you?' Jesus replies, 'You say that I 44:37 am a king. In fact, the reason I was born, 44:40 the reason I came into the world is to testify to the truth. 44:44 Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.' 44:47 'Yeah, what is truth?'" 44:50 You know what's so amazing to me? I never saw this till this week. 44:54 What we just witnessed, this exchange between Jesus and Pilate, is one of the profound 45:00 acts of an exile. All through this little mini series, we have watched as God 45:06 has taken the exiles that He's driven to Babylon and Persia and Assyria and Syria. 45:14 We've watched Him take those exiles, and through the supernatural control of 45:20 circumstances, stand that exile before a personage of great power and position, be it a 45:28 king, be it a general. We have watched God's strategic move with exiles. 45:40 Turns out nothing's changed. Jesus himself, the pre-incarnate Christ, positioned them. 45:47 Why? [ Scoffs ] Ask the exile Daniel with 45:50 Nebuchadnezzar, because Nebuchadnezzar gets saved. Ask Shadrach, Meshach, and 45:54 Abednego, the exiles. Ask them. Nebuchadnezzar gets saved again. 45:58 Ask Daniel -- same Daniel, still an exile with the King Darius. 46:03 Boom! Darius gets saved. Ask little exile Jonah about the King of Nineveh, who himself 46:08 gets saved. Ask that little Jewish maiden girl, an exile who will tell you 46:16 that her mighty Syrian Pagan general master also got saved. It is God's strategic plan to 46:27 move exiles through this life to places where they are destined to do something for Him. 46:35 [ Chuckles ] Wow. Because exiles have always been 46:41 God's primary missionaries to people of power. Joseph with Pharaoh. 46:48 Moses with Pharaoh. Paul with Felix, Paul with Festus, Paul with Agrippa, and 46:56 finally Paul with the mighty Nero himself, the most Pagan, the most Godless of all. 47:03 God takes his little exile like a chessboard and moves that exile till he's right next to 47:10 the king. Isn't that amazing? That's what God is doing with 47:15 Jesus and Pilate. Nobody's in the room. Alone together. 47:19 "My, I was born to tell the truth." This is your moment, Pilate. 47:26 This is your moment. Don't just ask what is truth. Stay. 47:30 "What is truth?" [ Snaps fingers ] Pah! 47:32 And he's gone. That was it. That was his one moment. 47:36 There have been a thousand before that, but that was his last one. 47:40 The truth was standing in front of him. Exiles, mercy. 47:44 Makes me wonder. I don't mind telling you this. Makes me wonder whom God is 47:48 hoping to send you to. I mean, I'm looking at some fine exile faces right here. 47:52 Who's God gonna send you to? Perhaps it will be something you say. 47:57 Given this particular audience, perhaps it will be something you write that gets somewhere you 48:03 never knew. Perhaps it'll be something you film. 48:09 Perhaps it'll be something you sing. Perhaps it will be something you 48:13 build or repair, but the word is out. Perhaps it'll be something you 48:18 play, whether it is a sport or an instrument. The point is it doesn't matter 48:24 what you do. It only matters that you do. You got to do something. 48:31 Don't just sit there in that space God has placed you as an exile. 48:36 Do something, pray something, say something. Do something, por favor. 48:45 "That's why I put you there." Do something for the God who placed you as His exile in the 48:53 space you now occupy, and there's no other exile in that space right now. 48:59 It's just you. "Do something for me, girl. Do something for me, boy, 49:07 please. I got you there for a reason." Just like Jesus, who died in 49:14 exile -- four exiles who died for the very people you are spending your life with in your 49:20 neighborhood right now. He's died for all of them. And that's why you're in your 49:24 neighborhood, and that's why you live next door. Nothing has happened by chance. 49:30 God has dreamed of this moment, and there you are. So, what did it mean for Jesus 49:36 to come to this earth as the capital "E" Exile of all exiles once upon a time? 49:40 I want to end with this. A century ago, these words were written that describe the 49:44 descent that Jesus made to become an exile. This is dynamite. 49:49 I wish I could hand this out to you. We have no study guide today. 49:52 I'm gonna put it on the screen. There will be a reference at the top. 49:55 Every slide that I read from this quotation, there will be a reference at the top. 49:58 If you want the quote, and some of you will, just scribble it down. 50:01 I carried it with me in all my Bibles. It's in. 50:04 And I've had to wrestle with this myself. Okay, here it comes. 50:08 "He," speaking of Christ, and I put the little numbers in, so don't worry about it, because 50:11 there are three lefts here. She's gonna talk about this descent -- boom, boom, boom. 50:15 Three -- Three lefts. "He, Christ, left his home of security and peace." 50:20 If we were writing it today, we would say, "He left his comfort zone." 50:24 Yep, he left his comfort zone. Do you have a comfort zone? Of course you do, that's why we 50:27 can't get you out of it. That's where you're safe. Isn't that right? 50:31 That's where you're safe. That's where you're loved. That's where you belong. 50:36 He left his comfort zone. Do you know how hard it is to leave a comfort zone? 50:40 Of course you do, that's why we don't leave it. We like it. 50:44 Number one, "He left his home of security and peace." Number two, he left the glory he 50:49 had with the Father, in whose presence, we've already been reminded by Jesus, he was loved, 50:53 respected, and cared for for an eternity, and eternity passed. They've been like this. 51:03 Forever and ever, he left it. And by the way, he left at the cost of great risk, eternal 51:11 risk, we are told. It could've imploded. He took the risk. 51:20 He's an exile. He left, number one, his home. He left, number two, the glory 51:24 he had with the Father. Number three, he left his possession on the throne of the 51:27 universe, and that's the toughest one, especially for men. 51:30 Men are pretty much tied to their positions. Well, women are, too. 51:35 But I'm talking in your relationship. If I asked my mother what 51:42 matters to her, it's the children. If I ask the father, "Come on, 51:45 tell me, what matters to you," it's, "Hey, come on, it's where I'm going." 51:48 He left the position. By the way, this was not any position. 51:51 It's the highest position in the universe. It's the numero uno position, 51:55 and he left it to come to this planet. Easy to get tied to a position, 52:01 isn't it? Hey. He left it. 52:06 Keep going, keep going, keep going. 52:08 "He went forth" -- these are the other two. 52:10 "He went forth. "He went forth, a suffering, 52:12 tempted man. He went forth in solitude, to 52:13 sow in tears, to water with his blood, the seed of life for a 52:16 lost world." He should've ended it right 52:18 there, lady. Why didn't you end it right 52:19 there, but she goes ahead and throws in one more sentence. 52:22 "In like manner his exiles, or servants, are to go forth to 52:27 sow." In like manner. 52:29 And by the way, servants doesn't mean you're some kind of professional paid class. 52:33 [ Chuckling ] No. If you're a servant of the most high God, you are a follower of 52:37 Jesus, and if you're a follower of Jesus, you are a servant of the most high God. 52:40 That's just how it works. You're a servant. We all our servants. 52:43 Now, how would you like to get a help-wanted ad like this? It's posted over on the 52:47 Apple Valley little cork bulletin board. "Help wanted." 52:51 There's only three lines in this help-wanted ad. Line number one -- "Wanted, 52:55 exiles. Must be willing to give up home, glory, position for new 52:59 mission." [ Scoffs ] Let me see what line two is. 53:06 Line two -- "Must be willing to embrace a life of suffering, temptation, loneliness, 53:10 solitude, sowing your tears, and maybe your blood if need be for sake of new mission." 53:13 [ Scoffs ] Let me see what line three is. Line three -- "If interested, 53:17 text to this number, 'Here am I, send me.'" That's it. 53:24 I'm not making this stuff up. Same quotation. Now, watch this, keep reading. 53:29 "The Lord calls upon those who believe in him." Do you believe in Je-- Everybody 53:32 here, I'm assuming, believes in Jesus. Almost everybody. 53:35 "The Lord calls those who believe in him to be workers" -- we're all called to be 53:39 workers -- "together with him. While their life shall last." "Well, how long is that, 53:43 Dwight?" Well, I'll tell you. If you're not sure, just pull 53:46 out your cellphone like this, okay? So, take your cellphone out, and 53:50 you take the shiny surface, put it beneath your nose, and then blow out through your nose. 53:56 [ Exhales ] If it gets foggy there, you're alive. 54:00 [ Laughter ] You're alive. So, as long as you can [exhales] 54:05 do this, you're still under that commission as an exile, right? "While their life shall last, 54:14 they are not to feel that their work is done." By the way, there's no 54:17 graduation out of it. There's no retirement. Any retirees here? 54:20 There is no retirement out of this. You're still under this, buddy, 54:24 until [exhales] they don't get any more steam on your phone. Then they'll know, "This is it." 54:32 "Until the time that Christ shall come, when Christ shall 54:34 say, 'It is finished,' the exile's work for the saving of 54:37 souls will not decrease, but will grow in importance." 54:40 This is unbelievable. "A thousand times more work for 54:42 God might be accomplished if all his children, exiles, would 54:45 fully consecrate themselves to him. 54:47 If they would improve every opportunity for doing good, 54:49 doors of service would open before them and they would be 54:52 called to bear" -- hold on. "They would be called to bear 54:55 greater responsibilities." 54:58 Nobody here's looking for a position. I understand that. 55:00 We're not looking to be the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. 55:04 But apparently, God watches you and me. "Hey, he did all right. 55:09 I'm gonna give him another one. I'm gonna give her another opportunity. 55:13 She's doing pretty good on these." That's what it is. 55:16 And he keeps raising the bar until one day, you're standing -- Can you believe 55:21 this? You're standing in front of the President of the United States. 55:24 How did this happen? "There's some mistake here." No, there's no mistake. 55:27 You are in front of the President right now because somebody needed you to be there, 55:31 somebody who's been watching you as an exile, somebody who knows this is how you behave to those 55:37 who don't know me, who keeps moving you till one day, just like Daniel, you're in front of 55:42 the king. You're in front of the President. 55:46 Too far fetched? Every exile story in the Old Testament. 55:51 This is the one that really blows. You're not gonna win them all. 55:56 Jesus didn't win Pilate. Committed suicide. History's clear. 56:04 Some of you right here, if you'll say yes to God, you'll 56:07 partner with Him in seeking for lost people to win to Jesus, to 56:12 lead to Jesus. The bar for you will keep 56:14 getting raised higher and higher and higher and higher, and then 56:20 shall the end come, as it did for Jesus when he died, as it 56:26 will for you and me when He comes. 56:30 But until then, we have the life mission -- guess what. We have the life mission of an 56:38 exile. You'll be an exile till He comes, which leads me to say, it 56:46 makes me wonder -- I hate to ask out loud. I wonder out loud, but it makes 56:49 me wonder who God is preparing you for. I just wonder. 57:01 I don't know. I don't know. 57:09 >> Think of the last time someone said, "I'm praying for 57:12 you." Didn't it give you a sense of 57:14 peace and reassurance that somebody cares for me? 57:16 I know how I feel when I get an e-mail from one of our viewers 57:19 saying, "Yo, Dwight. I've been praying for you 57:21 lately." There's nothing like knowing 57:23 someone is praying for you. So I want to offer you an 57:25 opportunity to partner -- let me, let us partner with you in 57:28 prayer. If you have a special prayer 57:30 request or a praise of thanksgiving you'd like to share 57:33 with us, I'm inviting you to contact one of our friendly 57:35 chaplains. It's simple to do. 57:37 You can call our toll-free number -- 877 -- the two words, 57:40 HIS WILL. 877-HIS-WILL. 57:43 That friendly voice that answers, you tell him, you tell 57:46 her what your prayer need is, we'll join with you in that 57:49 petition. May the God who answers prayer 57:52 journey with you these next few days until we're right back here 57:55 together again next time. 58:00 ♪♪ ♪♪ 58:19 ♪♪ |
Revised 2019-07-01