Participants:
Series Code: PME
Program Code: PME230513S
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00:14 >> So, for our first song, we'll be talking about 00:18 how God has always been with us, and He always will be. 00:21 And the song is called "You Say I Am." 05:29 >> Our scripture reading today is found in Jeremiah 29:11 -- 05:34 through 13. "'For I know the plans I have 05:37 for you,' says the Lord. 'Plans to prosper you, 05:40 plans not to harm you. To give you a future 05:43 and a hope. 05:45 Then, you... Then, you will call upon me, and come and pray to me. 05:50 And I will listen to you. You will seek me, and find me when you seek me, 05:55 with all your heart.'" 05:57 >> Amen. >> Our next song is 05:59 "Good, Good Father." This song talks about how good 06:02 and perfect our Father is, and how He has our plans 06:06 for us. 10:09 >> This next song that we're gonna sing is actually the theme song 10:13 for the Tent this year. 10:15 And if you see on the on the shirts 10:16 of some of these beautiful, wonderful students up here, 10:19 the number 10. It's the 10th Tent -- 10:22 which kind of makes sense, right? 10:24 It worked out. And it's been -- it's been 10:27 a wonderful experience so far. 10:28 And this song was written by students of Ruth Murdoch Elementary 10:35 in a worship-leading class. Yeah. Let's give it up for them. 10:38 [ Applause ] 10:44 It's called "This is Our Faith." 13:29 >> One more time. 14:16 >> ...in back, there, to tell those junior high specialists 14:21 what a great job they did. Isn't that something? 14:23 There are junior high kids, and they composed that. 14:26 I scribbled the words down. I've heard it two nights, now, 14:29 in a row. "This is our faith. 14:30 Though it is small, as long as we trust, 14:34 You lead us on." 14:37 We are so blessed, as a parish, to have Ruth Murdoch Elementary School in our parish. 14:42 Man, we must never take for granted that -- that fine institution, 14:48 and the kids that come out of it. Boy, I got their names here -- 14:51 Ava, Luke, Sebastian, Autumn, Jonah, Daniel, Ryan, and Peter from the seminary. 14:57 They just make us proud. Thank you, singers. It's kind of a nostalgic day 15:03 today. Next Sabbath will be our last service together -- 15:10 only in second service, by the way. So we had our last first service 15:14 this morning. And... I think, in the next seven days, 15:19 it's just the last of everything -- the last time I ride in a car, 15:22 the last time I... [ Laughter ] ...think of you, 15:25 the last time I hum on the way to work, the last time I whistle. 15:31 Whatever. This has just been one long goodbye. 15:34 I'm giving a shout-out to the the incredible team that planned this. 15:38 But this has been going on since April, and it'll all come to an end next week. 15:45 Speaking of nostalgia, I'm telling you -- Oh, and by the way, I need to 15:48 say a word about the Tent. Ben Martin is our youth pastor, and he's done a bang-up job. 15:53 And this is the 10th year that the Tent has been holding these evangelistic meetings. 15:57 And I'm telling you, it's one of our huge feeders for young Christians -- 16:03 baptized -- newly baptized young Christians. And so, Pastor Ben, 16:07 he was in first service. But we give you a shout-out. Thank you for the hard work 16:11 that you've done. And tonight, 5:00, come on. 5:00. 16:17 And then, another preacher at 7:00. Don't miss either one. 16:20 Come out for them both, and get blessed real good. But it is a nostalgic day 16:25 because, 40 years ago right now, I'm sitting on a little bench up here -- because they had 16:35 benches in those days -- and I'm holding this very -- this is the actual one. 16:40 I'm holding this in my hand. This is the actual one. Yeah. 16:44 I never lose this. So, this is -- what's the date on it? 16:48 May 14th, 1983. Wow. This is May 13th, today, 2023. 16:54 I went to Google yesterday, and I said, "Hey, Google, how many days has 16:57 it been since we started here?" And Google, she kicked out the answer "14,609 days." 17:05 Man, yeah. It makes you feel old, doesn't it? 17:07 14,609 days. Please. I've had such a -- 17:13 It's just been... It's been... Yeah, memory -- memory lane, 17:17 or whatever you want to call it. But that's true. I was sitting in that -- 17:21 in that pew right there, putting the finishing touches on the largest butterfly collection 17:26 in the world in my stomach. I'm telling you. I'm telling you, 17:33 you don't know what it's like to be just turned 31, sitting there, waiting for 17:38 the hymn of preparation to end because the president has already introduced you, 17:42 and you're gonna walk. And you had to climb into the pulpit in those days. 17:46 You had to have oxygen masks just to kind of breathe. It was -- It was like 17:50 those old European pulpits. And to open your mouth for the first time. 17:54 I mean, all those memories are going through my mind as I'm sitting on the front row, here. 17:59 And I'm just saying, "You know, thank you, Lord." Was I nervous? 18:04 Are you kidding? I started becoming nervous three months earlier, 18:10 on Friday -- Friday, February 18th, 1983. When I got -- living 18:16 on the West Coast, East Salem, pastor in that church. 18:19 Got a call from Arnold Kurtz, my professional mentor, and a major seminary -- 18:25 seminary major professor. And he said, "Hey, Dwight, how are you doing?" 18:30 "Fine." "Are you preaching tomorrow?" I said, "I am." 18:33 He said, "What are you preaching on?" I said, 18:34 "I'm preaching on forgiveness." I said, "Why are you asking?" He said, 18:37 "Well, I just want to make sure you're not preaching on in-gathering." 18:40 I said, "In-gathering? Come on, Arnold. That's in the fall. 18:42 No, come on. What's up?" He said, "Well, somebody is 18:46 going to be in church tomorrow, so, I was just checking. Blessings on you. 18:49 Goodbye." 18:52 And I'm saying, "What?" That night, I called a friend of mine, also teaching 18:57 in the seminary, Garth Thompson. He was my academy principal. And I said, 19:01 "Yo, Garth, what's up?" He said, "Nothing." I said, "Really? 19:05 Well, why did Arnold Kurtz call me this morning, and say, 'Somebody's going to be in 19:07 church tomorrow?'" Garth said, "Well, I don't know. 19:12 Maybe they're looking for a youth pastor." I said, "Oh, really? 19:15 Okay. Well, okay." And before he hung up, he said, 19:18 "Oh, by the way, John Cronke is preaching his farewell sermon tomorrow." 19:24 And when he said, "Farewell sermon tomorrow," my stomach went into 19:28 a three-month perpetual knot just like that. I knew what was up. 19:35 And sure enough, the next morning, I'm leading out in worship 19:37 at the East Salem Church. And during the opening hymn, a stranger steps in, 19:42 and sits on the back row. So, I'm trying to kind of see who that stranger is. 19:50 "Oh. That's -- That's the university president, Grady Smoot." 19:55 I'd seen him once before in my life, when I walked across this platform, 19:58 and he shook my hand, giving me my MDiv degree. Oh, now, butterflies. 20:06 Anyway, sure enough, at the closing hymn, last stanza, 20:11 he just slips out, and disappears. So, I give the benediction, 20:15 go to meet the saints as they're going out the door. I get to the door, 20:18 I look into the parking lot, he's walking to his rental car. He's just getting 20:21 to the rental car. He turns around like this, and our eyes connect. 20:25 And I know they connected. A few days later, I get a letter from snail mail. 20:33 E-mail had not been invented. That's true. It hadn't been invented then. 20:37 In fact, they had just invented electricity. So, it was just a long time ago, 20:42 I'm telling you. 40 years. Anyway, the letter -- 20:48 and I memorized the opening salutation. "My dear Dwight." 20:56 He said, "I am so sorry. I was under strict orders not to have any communication 21:01 with you. Protocol. But by now, you've heard we're 21:04 looking for a new campus pastor." Oh, my. 21:12 And then began three months of insomnia. I'm telling you the truth. 21:17 Man. So, I look at this. The other day, at the -- 21:23 the afternoon program, they played the first few clips of my -- my sermon. 21:29 First sermon in the Pioneer pulpit. "Of Leopards and Lepers, 21:33 and Other Such Spots." The two factoids you don't know, I'm gonna pass them on to you, 21:39 for what it's worth. Factoid number one is, once I got that sermon 21:44 written in Salem, I recorded it onto a little cassette recorder. You don't know what that is, 21:50 but you speak into it, and it has this thing that goes around. 21:53 And I recorded it. And then, I played it back over and over and over and over, 21:58 as I'm driving around the parish, just listening to that. And the other factoid is that 22:02 I couldn't fall asleep Friday night. True story. 22:05 I could not sleep Friday night. Everybody in the house, including my principal 22:10 and his wife. Everybody -- Kirk, Karen. I couldn't sleep. 22:14 I tried everything. Hot and cold water on my feet. Nothing. 22:18 I laid awake that whole night. That's what it meant to me to have the privilege 22:24 the next morning of being able to step into this pulpit, and open my mouth 22:31 to a family that would become a church family like no other on earth. 22:37 If God had told us, then, "Hey, boy, this is gonna be about 40 years of your life," 22:41 "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait, wait, wait. Are you serious?" 22:45 Nobody, of course, knew. In fact, when they flew Karen and me out -- 22:50 We got the call, as Karen mentioned the other day at the program -- we got the call 22:53 on April Fool's Day. Friday. It was a Friday. 22:56 And they said, "Hey, Dwight, we're inviting you to come be the pastor of 22:58 the campus church. Come on out here and look at us. Ask us questions." 23:01 So, we flew out. And it was another Friday. And we're sitting in 23:05 the Lake Union office, the old building, and the top brass of the university, 23:10 the union conference, the Michigan conference, they're all there, 23:13 asking us questions. We're getting acquainted. And then, all of a sudden, 23:15 they ask a question Karen and I had absolutely no clue they would ever 23:20 even think to ask, and we never thought of it -- about it ourselves. 23:23 And they looked at me, and they said, "Yo, Dwight, when you come, 23:26 if you come, how long do you think you could stay?" 23:32 I looked at Karen. Just blank in her eyes. Blank. 23:37 We had been two years, nine months, two years, nine months, 23:39 two years, nine months. So I said, "Okay, I'm gonna go way out on a limb." 23:46 And I looked at them, and I said... 23:50 "If God blesses, we could stay probably five to seven years." And they looked at each other, 23:59 smiled, and nodded. And I said, "That was the right answer." 24:02 [ Laughter ] I know what the answer was gonna be. 24:07 So, oh, my. Unbelievable. "Five to seven years." 24:11 It's embarrassing. In fact, I'll tell you this -- after we moved here -- 24:14 so, May 14th, we preached. Then, we move the 1st of June, from Oregon, 24:18 with all our earthly goods in the back of a pickup. And John Cronke -- 24:26 Dr. John Cronke, the senior pastor of this church for almost 17 years -- which was 24:31 some sort of world record, he pays a social call, and the whippersnapper 24:36 that's taken his place, sitting behind his desk, standing behind his pulpit. 24:41 I was terribly intimidated. Man. But he was gracious about it. 24:46 We had a wonderful visit. And just before he left, he -- he -- he leaned forward. 24:51 He said, "Dwight, I have a bit of counsel to give you." Well, I'm all ears. 24:58 So, I lean a little forward, and I say, "John, what is it?" He says, "Don't do what I did. 25:06 Don't stay too long." [ Laughter ] And I leaned 25:11 even further forward. I said, "John, John, trust me. I won't." 25:16 [ Laughter ] Oh, brother. > Oh, my, my, my. 25:24 So, here we are, looking at the next to the last Sabbath, but it's the actual day, 25:29 the moment. And... we just love you for it. 25:34 Karen and I love you. We love you to death. I kind of thought I was gonna 25:40 end up that way... [ Laughter ] ...but it didn't. 25:44 We lived too long. Anyway, we love you with all our hearts. 25:49 You -- You took in this little 31-year-old pastor with his 31-year-old wife 25:55 and 3-year-old boy, and you just started loving on us. 25:58 And you have been so compassionate. You've been so tolerant. 26:00 You've been so patient. You've put up with a lot. But there is no way -- 26:06 Look it, life is changing. Your life is gonna change. Our life is gonna change. 26:11 Everything changes. But what will never change is the way our hearts will hold 26:16 our love for you this tight throughout all eternity. We thank you for the privilege, 26:24 for eternity, the privilege you gave us to serve in this capacity. 26:29 What I'm gonna do right now, I have all -- the word-for-word script, written on a typewriter 26:35 with black and red ribbon. You don't know what that means. But I wrote a prayer. 26:41 So, after this lengthy introduction, like I've just done... 26:47 Before we begin, let's pray. I have the words written right there, 26:50 in case my mind goes blank. So, I'm gonna read to you the prayer I prayed -- 26:54 the first prayer I ever prayed into a microphone in the Pioneer Memorial Church. 26:59 I'm gonna pray it right now. Couldn't get through it in first service, 27:03 but I'm kind of steeled for it now. All right. 27:08 "Father of this family, Lord of this Word, through this living encounter, 27:16 speak to us. Hide these two lips and these many hearts in the shadow of 27:23 Jesus' presence, whose voice we have come to hear, in whose name we listen. 27:31 Amen." >> Amen. 27:35 >> Like the slide says, the best is yet to come. 27:40 The best is yet to come for you. The best is yet to come for me. 27:45 The best is yet to come for all of us. 27:47 You say, "Dwight, you can't prove that. 27:49 You just cannot prove that." I can prove it. 27:54 You'll see. You know the story 27:56 backwards and forwards. But because I know Jesus, 28:01 I know that is true. Because Jesus is there, 28:05 His mother is there, His disciples are there. 28:07 It's a village just like Berrien Springs, 28:09 and they're going to have a big celebration because 28:12 they're gonna have a wedding -- like weddings have taken place 28:15 in this little village church of Berrien Springs 28:17 for 40 years now. 28:19 They're gonna have a big wedding. But in the day, 28:22 as you well know, these events could be prolonged for -- for up to a week. 28:29 How would you like that, father of the bride? My. 28:33 And sure enough, that's exactly what happened. Got prolonged. 28:38 They ran out of refreshments. No wine. Bad news. 28:44 F.F. Bruce, the great New Testament commentator, "...to run short 28:50 Before it was due to end" -- Speaking of this little mini crisis -- "...was a serious 28:56 blow, particularly damaging to the reputation of the host. Mary may well have had some 29:01 responsibility for catering. At any rate, she knew that, in such a crisis, 29:06 she could not do better than to call upon her son's resourcefulness." 29:09 Now, watch this. "Probably she had learned by experience that 29:13 to draw his attention to a need was a sure way of getting something done." 29:19 By the way, that last line is true. Some of you have a huge need. 29:23 You need Jesus to step in your life right now. There's something going on, 29:26 and it's not -- it's not pretty. I want you to know that that line is absolutely true -- 29:30 if you will bring that to His attention, He can do something about it. 29:37 Hold it to yourself. Not willing to fold them, but hold them. 29:41 No. You go on. You go on with that need unmet. 29:47 Wow. So, you know the story. In fact, when the wine 29:52 was gone -- this is John 2, verse 3. "When the wine was gone, 29:55 Jesus' mother said to him, 'They have no more wine.' 'Woman, why do you involve me?' 30:02 Jesus replied. 'My hour has not yet come.'" Mary appears twice 30:08 in the Gospel of John. The fourth Gospel, she appears twice -- once in 30:11 Cana, and once at Calvary -- once at a wedding, once on a cross. 30:16 And both times, Jesus calls her "woman." Tomorrow is Mother's Day. 30:25 Don't you dare call your mother, and say, "Yo, woman, how you doing?" 30:29 You can't do that. The culture has totally changed in two millennia. 30:35 The Greek word that is used is a title of -- of great respect -- 30:39 "Madam," or "Milady" if you're from the UK. 30:45 "What does this have to do with me? It's not my hour." 30:48 You know it was spoken with tenderness. But the whole point is this -- 30:55 Jesus never calls his mother "Mother." Not in John. 31:04 Mnh-mnh. Why? Craig Keener, 31:07 another brilliant -- and still living -- New Testament commentator. 31:11 "She" -- Mary -- "...approached him not as her son, but as a miracle worker. 31:17 He replies not as her son, but as her Lord." The boundaries must not 31:23 be broken. "You need to understand who I am. 31:26 Yes, I'm your boy. And you're my mother. But I'm your Lord. 31:32 Do you understand that about me? I'm your Lord." Oh. 31:37 I got it. 31:42 The story goes on. 31:46 "His mother said to the servants, 'Hey, do whatever he tells you.'" 31:51 If you're wrestling right now with something Jesus has told you, 31:53 and you're saying, "Nah, nah, maybe, no, nah." That is a -- That is 31:58 the great success line of life -- of you do what He tells you, 32:04 you'll find ultimate success. "Do what he tells you," she tells the servants. 32:08 "Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews 32:12 for ceremonial washing, each holding 20 to 30 gallons. Jesus said to the servants, 32:17 'Fill the jars with water. So they filled them to the brim. 32:19 Then, he told them, 'Now, draw some out, and take it to the master of the banquet.' 32:23 They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. 32:26 He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had 32:30 drawn the water knew this was water. Then, he called the bridegroom 32:34 aside, and he said, 'Everyone brings out the choice wine first, 32:38 and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink. 32:41 But you have saved the best till now.'" You know why? 32:48 Because with Jesus, the best is always yet to come. You asked me to prove it. 32:54 I just did. >> Amen. >> Let's just isolate that line. 32:57 I want you to see it. "But you have saved the best till now." 33:05 My, oh my, oh my. "With Jesus..." How's that go? 33:13 "With Jesus, the best is always yet to come." By the way, that's been the 33:20 prevailing truth in the universe from in the beginning. In fact, in the beginning, 33:25 this little hunk of rock -- third rock from the from the sun, as we like 33:30 to think of the Earth, this little humble, humble hunk of rock 33:35 is in a no-name solar system, doing nothing, until the creator of the universe walks by, 33:42 and, after seven days, turns it into the garden hotspot of the universe. 33:47 Why? Because with Jesus, the best is always yet to come. 33:53 Abraham and -- Abraham and Sarah were just another infertile Middle Eastern couple, 33:58 until He came along and said, "I want to tell you something." Abraham had a hard time 34:03 sinking his mind into this. "I'm gonna make your descendants like the stars of heaven. 34:07 The entire planet will be blessed because of you." How could that be? 34:14 Because with Jesus, the best is yet to come. He comes by -- 34:19 by a median shepherd. He says, "Go let my people go." And under the cover of dark, 34:24 under the blood of that midnight escape, Moses leads the children 34:30 of Israel to freedom. And God is promising them, "When this is over, 34:35 you're gonna -- you're gonna move into a land flowing with milk and honey." 34:40 Why? Because the best is yet to come. It's always been that way. 34:45 Even when Israel exiled themselves into rebellion in Babylon, 34:51 Jeremiah dashes off a line from God to the exiles locked in captivity. 34:57 These words read just a moment ago -- Jeremiah, 29, verse 11, 35:01 God speaking, "For I know the plans I have for you." And He's talking to you, girl, 35:05 He's talking to you, boy, right now. "'I know the plans I have 35:08 for you,' declares the Lord, 'Plans to prosper you.'" "I don't care what's happening 35:12 in your life right now, I'm gonna prosper you. You just got to stay with me. 35:16 You quit too soon. Stay with me." "'Plans to prosper you, 35:23 and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.'" 35:29 How can that be? Because with Jesus, the best is always yet to come. 35:33 That's why. I'm telling you, we're not just bumping into 35:37 some little inconsequential revelation from the universe. This is the truth 35:42 of the universe. 35:48 No matter what predicament you're going through right now -- 35:50 and some of you are in a real pickle. No matter what terrible 35:54 misfortune or awful suffering has descended upon you, whether you're fighting your way 36:00 into a divorce or you're battling your way out of a disease, it doesn't matter. 36:06 Do not give up. >> Amen. >> "I know the plans I have 36:14 for you. Plans to prosper you, and not to harm you." 36:19 This boy is gonna be a preacher one day. That's the only reason children 36:21 come forward, 'cause they're being called by God to be preachers. 36:25 And so -- And this is gonna be the mother of a preacher. [ Laughter ] 36:31 Precious. Yep. 36:37 Never give up. Why? Because with Jesus, 36:39 the best is always yet to come. There are some here I know that are getting ready to retire. 36:44 I don't know who they are, but God be with you. And you need to know this is not 36:49 only a promise for the sweet by and by. This is not a promise 36:53 for eternity. This is a promise for the now and now. 36:59 Existentially, your existence right now. This is a promise for you. 37:05 Right now. Not manana, it's now. I came across -- you know, 37:10 I read a psalm a day. And about 17 days ago I was in Psalm 92, 37:14 'cause I was in Psalm 109 this morning. Came across these words -- 37:18 Oh, listen to these words. Psalm 92, verse 12, and then verse 14 -- 37:22 "The righteous will flourish like a palm tree. They will grow like a cedar 37:26 of Lebanon. They will still bear fruit in old age, and they will 37:31 stay fresh and green." Well, I got a big "amen" in first service. 37:35 And you know why? 'Cause it was for us. This isn't for you. 37:40 This is for us. Man, oh, man. "They will still bear fruit 37:43 in old age, and they will stay fresh and green." 37:47 And then, I scribbled some time ago, in the cycle of reading through this, 37:50 I came across these words in a book called "The Retirement Years." 37:54 And I want to share the line with you. "The Retirement Years." 37:57 "If you will unite willingly with the Lord in this work, 38:02 your last days will be your brightest 38:04 and best." Take that to the bank. 38:09 Take that to God. I want my last days 38:14 to be my brightest and my best. You want that, and I want that. 38:20 Why not? I see my friend Peter, here. 38:23 I haven't seen Peter in a long time. 38:25 Good to have you come out today. I saw you coming in. 38:29 Yeah, just a theologian that's in his mid-80s now. 38:34 The best is yet to come even for Peter. 38:37 God bless you, Peter. Yep. "Your last days will be 38:42 your brightest and best." Wow. Which, by the way, 38:46 doesn't mean that everything ahead is gonna be hunky dory. Let's be clear about that. 38:50 That doesn't mean no potholes in the road, no detours, no precipices. 38:58 That is not what this is saying. This is saying, "On spite of what life is like on this 39:03 planet, God will bring you through it." Yeah, you got flat tires, 39:08 that engine is going to blow, but don't give up. God's got the solution, 39:15 and He gets you through. Wow. Why? 39:20 Because... With Jesus, the best is always yet to come. 39:24 There's only one word in the -- there's -- there's one word -- 39:28 I say "only" -- one word in the English language that summarizes this line -- 39:32 "With Jesus, the best is yet to come." And that one word is "h-o-p-e." 39:36 "Hope." That's the word. This is all about hope. 39:39 Hope. You got hope. When you confess that 39:43 the best is yet to come with Jesus, you are making a confession of hope. 39:47 Because somewhere in the Bible, there is a line that goes like this -- 39:50 "He has placed eternity in our hearts." Eternity. 39:55 There is something numinous inside of us that believes, that dares to believe -- 40:00 maybe you don't quite believe yet, but the dares to believe that this is not it. 40:04 This is not all. This is not the end. There's something better coming. 40:09 You couldn't tell it by my life today, but there's something better 40:13 coming. Somebody has put that -- planted that eternity in our hearts, 40:18 so that we won't let go, so we will hold on. Come on. 40:24 John Eldridge, in his wonderful book "The Journey of Desire," boy he nails it, here. 40:28 "Something in us longs, hopes, maybe even at times believes that this is not the way 40:34 things were supposed to be. Our desire fights the assault of death upon life." 40:40 How true. "And so, people with terminal illnesses get married." 40:48 "Prisoners in a concentration camp plant flowers. 40:53 Lovers long divorced still reach out in the night to embrace one 40:57 who is no longer there." 41:04 "At some deep level, we refuse to accept the fact that this is the way things are, 41:09 or must be, or always will be." No. Eternity has been planted 41:15 in our hearts, and something dares to believe the best is yet to come. 41:21 Don't ever let go of that belief, ever. No matter what's happened 41:25 to you, don't let go. I came across these words some years ago, 41:31 reading "Christianity Today." And boy, something clicked when I read these words. 41:36 The author, Harry Blamires, "If only we could have the positives of earthly life 41:41 without the negatives. But that is precisely what Heaven has to offer -- 41:47 the removal of the negatives." Keep reading. "here below time withers flowers 41:53 and human beauty. It encourages good intentions to evaporate. 41:57 It deprives us of our loved ones. Within the universe 42:01 ruled by time, the happiest marriage ends in death. The loveliest woman 42:06 becomes a skeleton. Fading and aging, losing and failing, being deprived 42:12 and being frustrated -- these are negative aspects of life in time. 42:17 Life in eternity will liberate us from all loss, all deprivation." 42:22 Can I get an "amen" for that? [ All talking ] All loss. 42:25 All deprivation. Gone. The best is coming. 42:31 And it's the best of the best. So don't let go. 42:43 And what's the best of the best? That's something is a someone. And that's someone 42:51 is the one who, on the eve of his execution -- in hours, He will die an excruciating 42:59 death pinned between Heaven and Earth. That night before, 43:06 this someone made a promise that you must never forget. In fact, if you call yourself 43:12 an "Adventist," these are the -- these are the most beloved words -- 43:16 next to John 3:16 -- in the entire Scripture. John 14. 43:23 On the eve of his execution. In fact, I want us to repeat these words together. 43:28 "Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God. 43:33 Believe, also, in me. In my father's house are many mansions. 43:39 If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 43:46 And if I go and prepare a place for you..." what's the next -- 43:52 what are those four words? -- "...I will come again. And receive you to myself, 43:58 that where I am, there you may be also." "I will come again." 44:08 Those four words prove the truth -- that with Jesus, 44:13 the best is yet to come, because Jesus is yet to come. That's it. 44:20 That's it. H-o-p-e. You have it. 44:24 His promise. Hold on to it. Don't ever let it go. 44:30 Wow. So, I suppose the question -- as I draw to an end now, 44:37 I suppose the question is... "Are you ready for Jesus to come?" 44:45 No, I'm serious. Are you ready... for Jesus... 44:50 to come? 44:56 >> Back in January, early one morning, I grabbed my yellow pad, 45:00 and scribbled down these words. Got them right here. I scribbled down in pencil. 45:06 "Jesus is coming soon." And then I put a little, you know, 45:10 pointy at the bottom of that, and then I scribbled "Sooner than we think." 45:17 And then, the words, "Are we ready?" 45:23 Are we personally ready? I mean you and me. Are we collectively ready? 45:29 Corporately? Institutionally? Are we ready... 45:34 for Him to come? Does the way we live, does the way we work, 45:43 does the way we play, does is the way we entertain, does the way we socialize? 45:52 Could you tell it by the way we live? 45:59 Does it reflect our cognizance of our mission to make ready a people prepared for the Lord? 46:05 Does it reflect our cognizance of our condition, the culture around us, 46:09 and the culture inside of us? Are we ready for Jesus to come? 46:18 Put it another way -- and I -- my scribbling continues, here -- if He were to show up 46:23 tonight -- tonight -- and sit down beside us, Beside that laptop, 46:31 beside that big screen, beside that gaming console -- if he were to show up tonight, 46:43 would he conclude... we are eagerly waiting for him? 46:51 Are you ready for Jesus to come? I'm asking you. For 40 years, 46:57 I've wondered about me, and I've wondered about us. 47:07 One of these days, God's going to run out of 40s. It's over. 47:14 Sorry. Oh, by the way, the drunk that swerves into your lane, 47:23 and that's the end for you. Jesus just came. That was Jesus coming for you. 47:29 So don't give me this, "Well, I'm looking for something to happen out there 47:32 on the horizon, and then I'll get ready." You're a fool if you do that. 47:38 You could be dead tonight. Come on. You get the point. 47:45 If the best is yet to come, if the best is soon to come, am I, are you, 47:51 are we ready for Jesus to come? And so, I'm gonna end with an appeal today -- 47:56 my last one, maybe. 48:02 Because getting ready for Jesus is really very simple. It's not rocket science. 48:08 It's conscience. That's the word "science" with "con" in front of it. 48:15 Because that's inside of you. You already know. You already know 48:22 how to be ready for Jesus. In the long shot, you have no clue. 48:28 Let me just say, it's just throwing -- throwing your life open. 48:31 "Jesus, you may come into my heart right now. Whatever that means, however you 48:35 do it, just come into my life. I receive you as my savior. I receive you as my master. 48:40 Come into my life." That's it. If you mean it, that's it. 48:48 The conscience is what says, "Get it out. Get that out of here. 48:54 Take it out." What Jesus did in the temple right after this story -- 48:58 "Take it out. Get it out. This does not belong." 49:01 That's what the conscience does. You'll be fine. The conscience 49:05 will not kill you. 49:06 The conscience is the voice of God to help you, to draw you. 49:13 You have nothing to be afraid of. 49:15 The best is yet to come. Do whatever he tells you. 49:21 Do whatever He tells you. You can't play a game with Him. 49:25 No. You want a miracle in your life? 49:29 Do whatever he tells you. Then, you get your miracle. 49:35 So... if you're watching on a screen 49:39 right now, I'm talking to you, too. 49:42 You know exactly what I'm saying. 49:43 You know exactly what your conscience is saying to you right now. 49:47 Obey. Do whatever He tells you. Obey it. 49:52 You'll be fine. Because the best is yet to come. You lose nothing. 49:57 You gain everything. So, I want you to sit back, and be thinking, 50:05 "What do I -- What should I say to Jesus about... being ready to come right now? 50:11 What should I tell Him?" Oh, I think you know what to tell Him. 50:16 Tell Him. Karen's gonna come. My sweetheart all these years. 50:21 And she's gonna sing this beautiful song, "Are You Ready For Jesus 50:24 To Come?" It's as old as the hills. But just listen to the words. 50:31 Just listen to the words. And talk to Jesus, will you, while she's singing. 50:38 ♪♪ 54:26 [ Applause ] 54:39 >> So, are you ready? I want you to be ready. I love you. 54:46 And I want to be in Heaven. And I know you want to be in Heaven, too. 54:51 So, it's not gonna hurt us to go on record before the witnessing universe right now, 54:59 by the grace of Jesus. I want to be ready. Do whatever you wish 55:06 in my life, Father, to get me ready. Because the best -- 55:14 the very best -- is yet to come. If you'd like to send that prayer to Heaven, 55:19 don't jump up because everybody around you is jumping up. 55:21 No, you got to mean it. You're not doing it for me. Do it for Him. 55:29 Did you stand to your feet, and send that message to Heaven? 55:42 So God, Dear Father, blessed Jesus, beloved spirit, You've never failed us. 55:53 Your fingerprints are all over us. 40 years. 55:57 What's that to You? And you'll never leave us or forsake us. 56:04 We do want to be ready if Jesus were to come tonight. But of course. 56:09 Why would I not want to be ready? So, give us the courage, 56:13 and grace, and the gumption, and the strength... to do what needs to be done. 56:21 We'll throw that door wide open to our forever friend. And we will spend 56:26 forever together, we who stand in your presence now. 56:32 We love you back, Father. We love you back. In Jesus' name, amen. 56:47 Before you go, let me take an extra moment 56:49 to share with you an opportunity to get into the Bible 56:52 in a fresh, new way. All across this planet, 56:55 more and more people are hearing the call to examine scriptures 56:57 for themselves. 56:59 If you've felt drawn to learn more about God's Word, but you don't know where 57:02 to start, or you're just looking for a more in-depth examination of Bible truths, 57:06 then I have something right here that I believe you're going to enjoy. 57:10 I want to send you a series of guides to get you started. This one is entitled -- 57:14 you can see it right here -- "Why Does God Allow Suffering?" Each guide begins with a story, 57:19 an introduction of the subject. 57:21 Then, through a series of focused questions, you'll be 57:23 learning portions of the Bible you may never have known before. 57:26 And when you're through, you'll be able to share 57:29 with others some of these inspiring scriptural truths 57:31 for yourself. Just call our toll-free number. 57:34 It's on the screen right now -- 877 -- you see it there -- 57:37 877. And then the two words 57:39 "his will." Friendly operators 57:41 are standing by to send these study guides to you. 57:44 So, once again, that's 877-HIS-WILL. 57:47 Call that number. And then again, join me 57:51 right here next week, at this same time. 57:59 ♪♪ ♪♪ 58:12 ♪♪ ♪♪ |
Revised 2023-05-23