Participants:
Series Code: PME
Program Code: PME230902S
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00:15 >> All right. 00:16 Good morning, church family. 00:18 Good morning, church family. 00:19 To make sure 00:21 everybody's still here. 00:22 Glad that everybody has made 00:23 it here on the Sabbath morning. 00:25 We're going to continue 00:27 through our worship service. 00:28 But I had a little analogy that 00:29 I was thinking this week, as we 00:32 prepare to enter our worship. 00:33 Our church is like 00:35 a soccer team, right? 00:37 Now, I love soccer, I played 00:38 soccer since I was four years 00:39 old, was on the university team 00:41 last year, played all through -- 00:42 or all through high school 00:44 and now some through college. 00:45 And the church 00:46 is like a soccer team. 00:47 We have our forwards who are 00:49 kind of like our missionaries. 00:50 They're the ones 00:51 that are out there trying 00:52 to score points, as it were. 00:54 We have our midfielders 00:55 that are supporting them. 00:57 Maybe they're the ones that are 00:58 praying, sending letters, 00:59 making them good food. 01:00 We have our defenders who are 01:01 holding down the fort back 01:03 at home here in our church. 01:04 Our church 01:05 is like a big soccer team. 01:06 And then we have our coach, 01:07 which is our pastor, 01:08 Shane Anderson, he's our coach. 01:10 He gives us the right formations 01:11 and how we want to, you know, 01:13 strategically do everything. 01:14 But we are like a soccer team 01:16 and we come together each 01:17 and every week to do what? 01:18 To worship together, 01:19 to practice together. 01:20 Think of it that way. 01:21 We come together to practice 01:23 and to, you know, 01:24 think of different strategies, 01:25 learn new strategies, 01:27 learn how to, you know, 01:28 maybe preach to new people 01:29 or how to talk to new people 01:31 or who, you know, 01:32 there's all these different ways 01:34 of thinking of it. 01:35 But I like to think church 01:36 is kind of as our practice. 01:37 It's a time 01:38 where we get to come together 01:39 and we get to work together 01:40 as a community and as a church, 01:42 so that, when we go throughout 01:43 the week, we can go out there 01:45 and, you know, successfully 01:47 implement our strategies. 01:48 Does that kind of make sense? 01:50 I don't know, that was 01:50 the analogy that I was thinking, 01:52 but I invite you guys now, 01:53 as we enter our worship service, 01:54 the rest of our worship service, 01:55 as we sing now 01:57 and as we listen to our pastor 01:58 speak in just a few minutes, 02:00 I invite you guys to open up 02:01 your hearts and your minds 02:03 so that we can take something 02:03 out of this room. 02:04 And it's not just, you know, 02:05 a system. 02:06 It's that we take things 02:08 from out of this room 02:08 and we go out into the world. 02:09 So stand with us as we sing 02:11 these next two songs. 02:12 Sing loud, sing proud. 02:14 I think 02:15 you guys might know these songs. 02:16 Our first song we're going 02:17 to sing is "Mighty to Save." 02:24 [ "Mighty to Serve" begins ] 02:26 ♪ 02:35 ♪ 02:44 Sing with us. 05:50 ♪ 05:57 >> Our Scripture reading 05:58 for today is found in 06:00 Psalm 133:1-3. 06:05 "How good and pleasant 06:07 it is when God's people 06:09 live together in unity. 06:11 It is like precious oil 06:13 poured on the head, 06:15 running down on the beard, 06:17 running down on Aaron's beard, 06:19 down on the collar of his robe. 06:23 It is as if the dew of Hermon 06:25 were falling on Mount Zion. 06:27 For there the Lord bestows his 06:29 blessing, even life 06:31 forevermore." 06:34 ♪ 06:40 ♪ 09:59 ♪ 10:09 >> Let's sing together. 10:53 >> There's nothing worth more. 12:52 ♪ 13:01 >> Everybody got a place to sit? 13:04 Good morning, everybody. 13:07 I have a question. 13:08 I'm going to start with you, 13:09 but I might want to stay there. 13:11 Anybody here have a pet at home? 13:15 Aha! Aha! 13:18 The calendar for the university 13:20 this year is interesting. 13:22 Has lots of pictures of faculty 13:24 and staff with pets at home, 13:27 including two skunks. 13:30 But they had them fixed 13:32 so they can't make you smell. 13:34 But anyway, anybody here 13:36 have a dog at home? 13:39 Yeah. My dog -- 13:41 >> I have two! 13:43 >> You've got two of them? 13:44 >> Yes. 13:45 >> One of my neighbors has four. 13:47 That's a lot of dogs. 13:49 My dog is a golden retriever 13:52 that's all white. 13:54 And you know what his name is? 13:56 Rascal. 13:57 And, boy, he can act 13:59 like a rascal sometimes. 14:01 Well, dogs 14:03 are a very favorite pet. 14:05 There's a lady 14:06 out in New Jersey. 14:09 Her name was Debbie Parkhurst. 14:13 And she had a little dog 14:15 named Toby. 14:16 Actually, 14:17 it was a pretty good size. 14:19 One morning -- Now, can a -- 14:23 How smart are dogs? 14:25 Did you know they can learn 14:26 300 different words? 14:29 That's a lot. Well, anyhow... 14:32 Debbie bit into a big red, 14:35 crisp, hard, juicy apple. 14:39 And [Gasping] 14:43 The piece she bit out 14:45 of the apple went over 14:47 into her throat 14:48 and blocked her windpipe 14:50 so she couldn't breathe. 14:52 Now what happens 14:54 if you can't breathe? 14:56 >> Die. 14:57 >> You die. 14:59 You got that right. 15:01 She tried what is called 15:02 the Heimlich maneuver 15:04 on herself... 15:05 [ Gasping ] 15:06 ...but it didn't work. 15:09 Toby picked up on that. 15:11 You know what he did? 15:13 Talk about being a smart dog. 15:15 He got up on his hind legs 15:17 and put his front paws on her 15:19 shoulders and knocked her down. 15:23 And then, you know 15:24 what he did next? 15:25 He started jumping on her -- 15:27 boom, boom, boom -- 15:29 and all of a sudden -- pop! -- 15:31 out came the piece of apple. 15:35 Then, you know what he did next? 15:38 He didn't want her to pass out. 15:40 He started licking her face, 15:43 and she came through okay. 15:46 He saved her life. 15:49 Now, you're not a dog. 15:51 Do you think you could save 15:52 somebody's life? 15:54 You think you can? 15:56 Well, I mentioned something. 15:57 It's called 15:58 the Heimlich maneuver. 15:59 And I have a good friend, 16:01 Dr. Ken Kelln, who's going 16:03 to help me demons-- 16:04 Well, he's going to do 16:05 the demonstrating 16:07 of how to do this on me. 16:12 Okay, Dr. Ken. 16:13 >> What a better person. 16:15 Yes. Now, how do you know 16:17 if somebody is choking? 16:21 Yes. They put their hands 16:23 up to their throat like this. 16:26 That's a very good sign 16:28 that somebody is choking 16:29 on something that's stuck down 16:31 there next to the windpipe. 16:34 And how do you get that out? 16:35 Well, 16:36 the American Heart Association 16:38 and other places who have lots 16:41 of experience at this say 16:43 the first thing you should do 16:44 is tell the person to cough. 16:46 >> [ Coughs ] 16:48 >> But that didn't get -- 16:49 that didn't work. 16:50 So what you do 16:51 is you bend them over 16:53 and give them five slaps 16:55 on the back -- one, 16:57 two, three, four, five. 17:01 And if that doesn't work, 17:04 then you grab them 17:05 around the middle 17:06 here, put your fist just above 17:09 the belly button, and put 17:10 the other hand right on here 17:13 and do five quick jerk squeezes. 17:17 One, two, three, four, five. 17:21 [ Children murmuring ] 17:24 And that usually will knock 17:26 that thing out of the throat 17:28 and the person can breathe. 17:29 And when they start breathing, 17:31 then, if it's still 17:33 in there partway, 17:34 encourage them to cough 17:36 and get that thing out, 17:38 because then they can breathe 17:39 well and that saves their lives. 17:42 Thank you, boys and girls. 17:43 >> Thank you, Dr. Ken. 17:45 Now, boys and girls... 17:47 [ Applause ] 17:53 Believe it or not, you are going 17:54 to remember what you just saw 17:57 because someday you may need 18:01 to call your memory out 18:03 to save somebody's life. 18:06 Who would like to offer a prayer 18:08 that we all can save 18:10 someone's life? 18:19 [ Chuckles ] Whoopsie. 18:20 There we go. 18:22 Tell us your name. 18:23 >> Imie. 18:24 >> Imie? You may pray. 18:26 And we thank you for this. 18:28 >> [ Speaking foreign language ] 18:37 Amen. 18:39 >> Amen. 18:41 And you know, 18:43 Jesus will save your life 18:46 if you want him to. 18:47 >> Amen. 18:48 >> Thank you. 18:49 And you all may go back 18:50 to your seats. 18:58 >> Our Scripture reading 18:59 was ably read 19:01 just a few moments ago. 19:03 Psalm 133. 19:05 It is a rather famous text 19:07 and it has this very interesting 19:10 picture, does it not? 19:12 "How good and pleasant it is 19:14 when God's people work 19:15 together in unity." 19:18 And then it says, "It is like 19:20 oil being poured on the head, 19:21 flowing down over the face, 19:23 through the beard, 19:23 onto one's collar." 19:27 Not a single "amen" 19:28 when I said that, but... 19:31 That does not necessarily 19:32 sound like a -- that sounds 19:33 like an accident, doesn't it? 19:34 Right? Somebody spilled 19:36 some oil somewhere 19:37 and you got in the wrong place. 19:38 But make no mistake, 19:40 to the ancients, 19:42 to our patriarchs 19:43 and matriarchs, 19:44 when that oil was poured, 19:46 it was not only a symbol 19:47 of abundance, even kind of 19:50 wretched, holy excess, 19:52 the blessings of God flowing 19:53 over, it was considered 19:55 to be a sign of the anointing 19:57 of the Spirit of God. 20:00 Isn't it interesting 20:01 how the Bible puts the unity 20:03 of God's people 20:04 and the Spirit of God 20:06 so closely together? 20:08 In fact, 20:09 so common is this theme, 20:10 there's a number of sister texts 20:12 in the Bible to Psalm 133, 20:14 and I would like you 20:15 to look at just one of them. 20:15 John chapter 4, please, 20:18 verse 23. 20:19 If you have a Bible or a phone 20:21 or whatever it is that you use 20:22 to look up the Word of God, 20:23 John chapter 4, 20:25 beginning with verse 23. 20:27 In fact, only verse 23. 20:29 We do not have time to go 20:30 through the entirety of this 20:32 story this morning, so let me 20:33 just briefly summarize. 20:34 Jesus here is traveling to 20:35 Galilee. 20:37 He goes through Samaria 20:38 not because 20:39 it was customary to do so, 20:40 but because it says he had to. 20:41 He knew there was 20:42 someone he needed to meet. 20:44 This story is often referred 20:45 to as Jesus 20:46 and the woman at the well. 20:48 They meet there at Jacob's Well 20:49 in Samaria. 20:50 This woman is there, they have 20:51 this very interesting dialog. 20:53 Last night at Vespers, 20:54 I was speaking about this 20:56 to our university students. 20:57 It's a fascinating story. 20:59 Towards the culmination of the 21:01 dialog between the woman and 21:03 Jesus, Jesus makes this 21:05 statement. 21:06 Verse 23. 21:08 He says, "Yet a time is coming 21:12 and has now come 21:15 when the true worshipers" -- 21:17 What kind of worshipers? 21:18 True. 21:19 "When the true worshipers 21:22 will worship the Father in" -- 21:23 what's the next word? -- 21:25 "spirit and truth. 21:28 In spirit and truth, 21:29 for they are the kind of 21:31 worshipers the Father seeks. 21:33 The time is coming and is now 21:35 come when the true worshipers 21:37 will worship the Father 21:38 in spirit and truth, 21:41 for they are the kind of 21:42 worshipers the Father seeks." 21:44 In spirit and in truth, 21:46 in spirit and in truth. 21:48 I wonder what that could mean. 21:57 And it is often at this point 21:58 that the preacher will seek 22:01 to tell you what that means. 22:05 But today I thought 22:06 we would do something different 22:08 and let you preach this part 22:12 of the sermon. 22:14 Now, what I'm going to say next, 22:15 I actually mean. 22:16 I actually do want you to do 22:18 what I'm about to ask you to do. 22:19 And the reason I say that 22:20 is because some of you 22:21 are going to say to yourself, 22:22 "Surely the pastor can't mean 22:23 that I would do 22:24 what he just said." 22:25 No, I actually do, I really 22:26 would like you to do this. 22:27 Are you ready? 22:31 Sopranos in this section 22:34 right here. 22:36 I need altos over here 22:37 in this quadrant. 22:38 Tenors, I need you right back 22:39 there. 22:40 Basses, I need you back there. 22:43 Why are you sitting still? 22:46 If you have small children 22:47 that just went to sleep, 22:48 you're welcome to stay. 22:49 If you have any mobility issues, 22:49 you're welcome 22:50 to stay exactly where you are. 22:51 Everybody else, 22:52 I need you to stand up and move. 22:53 We got things to do. Let's go. 22:55 If you're in the balcony, 22:56 feel free to come down 22:57 and join us in any of these 22:58 sections or form them up 22:59 in those four quadrants, 23:01 right up there in the balcony. 23:03 I'm going to need all of you. 23:04 Let's do it. Move quickly. 23:08 Sopranos right here. 23:11 Altos, my right, your left. 23:15 Tenors, back right quadrant 23:16 there. 23:17 Basses, other quadrant in the 23:19 back. 23:21 Don't be shy, balcony. 23:23 We can still see you. 23:24 Come and join us. 23:27 If you are not musical and you 23:29 do not know what you are, 23:31 look at someone who looks like 23:32 they know what they're doing 23:33 and follow them to their spot. 23:38 One more time, sopranos 23:40 right here, altos right here, 23:43 tenors back on that side, 23:46 basses on this side. 23:49 I will give you a moment 23:50 to make your way to your spots. 23:51 When you get there, 23:52 go ahead and have a seat. 23:54 [ Organ playing ] 24:03 And once you have found a seat, 24:06 would you grab a hymnal 24:08 and open it to page 27? 24:11 Page 27. 24:15 If you don't have a hymnal, 24:16 see if you can share it with the 24:17 person that's there next to you. 24:19 Hymn number 27. 24:22 And go ahead and be seated 24:24 when you've found a spot. 24:28 Hymn number 27. 24:29 This is the hymn 24:30 "Rejoice, Ye Pure in Heart." 24:31 I think this is one of 24:33 the finest hymns in our hymnal, 24:35 not the least of which 24:36 because it was in my wedding. 24:38 So all kinds of good memories 24:39 associated with this hymn. 24:40 It says, "Rejoice, ye pure 24:42 in heart, rejoice, give thanks 24:44 and sing. 24:45 Your festal banner 24:46 wave on high, the cross 24:48 of Christ your King. 24:49 Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice, 24:52 give thanks and sing." 24:54 And that is exactly what we are 24:55 going to do at this point. 24:57 Now, as you remember 24:59 from your high school 25:00 choir class, when I'm working 25:02 with the sopranos, 25:03 what are the rest of you doing? 25:06 Some of you don't remember 25:08 what your choir teacher 25:09 told you back in those days. 25:10 Yes. That's right. 25:11 All right, let's focus here. 25:12 Sopranos, are you ready? 25:13 We're just going to run through. 25:15 Dr. Logan is just going to play 25:16 the melody line here. 25:17 Our pitch is... 25:18 [ Organ plays note ] 25:20 Ladies, are you ready? 25:21 One, two, three. 25:23 >> ♪ Rejoice, ye pure in heart 25:28 ♪ Rejoice, give thanks, 25:30 and sing ♪ 25:33 ♪ Your festal banner wave 25:36 on high ♪ 25:38 ♪ The cross of Christ 25:40 your King ♪ 25:43 ♪ Rejoice, rejoice 25:48 ♪ Rejoice, give thanks, 25:50 and sing ♪ 25:54 >> What do you think? Huh? 25:55 Not bad, not bad. 25:56 Okay, sopranos, 25:57 you can do twice as good. 25:58 Are you ready? 25:59 Okay, sit up straight. 26:00 Come on, let's sing -- 26:01 sing through your head. 26:02 We don't want nasally stuff. 26:03 Okay, we want a nice full round 26:05 tones, okay? 26:06 And I think you can even 26:07 do more volume. 26:08 Don't forget. 26:09 Watch me on the end, 26:10 particularly at the end of the 26:11 song so we can do our, you know, 26:12 "Rejoice, give thanks, and 26:13 sing," and we can cut off 26:14 at the same time. 26:15 Are you ready? Our pitch again? 26:17 [ Organ plays note ] 26:18 One, two, three. 26:20 >> ♪ Rejoice, ye pure in heart 26:24 ♪ Rejoice, give thanks, 26:27 and sing ♪ 26:29 ♪ Your festal banner wave 26:33 on high ♪ 26:34 ♪ The cross of Christ 26:37 your King ♪ 26:39 ♪ Rejoice, rejoice 26:44 ♪ Rejoice, give thanks, 26:47 and sing ♪ 26:50 >> Ooh, that is not -- 26:51 I have the best seat in the 26:52 house, that was great. 26:53 Well done, sopranos. 26:54 Okay, let's come over here to 26:55 the altos. 26:55 Altos, are you ready? 26:57 All right. Your part 26:58 is somewhat monotonous, 27:01 but it's really important, okay? 27:03 And you got to watch, watch for 27:04 the occasional flat here. 27:05 What's our pitch, please. 27:06 [ Organ plays note ] 27:07 [ Hums ] One, two, three. 27:10 >> ♪ Rejoice, ye pure in heart 27:14 ♪ Rejoice, give thanks, 27:17 and sing ♪ 27:19 ♪ Your festal banner wave 27:23 on high ♪ 27:24 ♪ The cross of Christ 27:27 your King ♪ 27:29 ♪ Rejoice, rejoice 27:34 ♪ Rejoice, give thanks, 27:37 and sing ♪ 27:40 >> Scale of 1 to 10, what would 27:42 you give yourselves, altos? 27:43 [ Laughter ] 27:46 Okay, I know you can do this. 27:47 All right, you got it. 27:48 We're off to a very good start. 27:49 I need you to sit up straight. 27:50 All right? Sit up straight. 27:51 We can do this. Everybody ready? 27:53 Okay. Pitch again, please. 27:54 [ Organ plays note ] 27:55 Here we go. One, two, three. 27:58 >> ♪ Rejoice, ye pure in heart 28:03 ♪ Rejoice, give thanks, 28:05 and sing ♪ 28:08 ♪ Your festal banner wave 28:11 on high ♪ 28:12 ♪ The cross of Christ 28:15 your King ♪ 28:18 ♪ Rejoice, rejoice 28:22 ♪ Rejoice, give thanks, 28:25 and sing ♪ 28:29 >> Good enough. 28:31 Yes. All right, good job. 28:32 Good job. Sopranos, 28:33 are you ready to join with them? 28:34 All right. Pitches, please, 28:35 for both sopranos and altos. 28:36 [ Organ plays two notes ] 28:38 One. Two, three. 28:40 >> ♪ Rejoice, ye pure in heart 28:45 ♪ Rejoice, give thanks, 28:47 and sing ♪ 28:50 ♪ Your festal banner wave 28:53 on high ♪ 28:55 ♪ The cross of Christ 28:57 your King ♪ 29:00 ♪ Rejoice, rejoice 29:05 ♪ Rejoice, give thanks, 29:08 and sing ♪ 29:12 >> That sounds pretty good 29:13 to me, pretty good to me. 29:14 Some of you, altos, you're 29:15 looking kind of depressed. 29:16 You did all right. 29:17 You did all right, okay? 29:18 Don't worry. 29:19 You're doing just fine there. 29:20 Tenors, are you ready? 29:21 Do we really have that 29:22 many tenors? 29:24 That is aston-- Some of you 29:25 have infiltrated. 29:26 You're a bass and you're in 29:27 the wrong section, aren't you? 29:28 That's an astonishing amount. 29:30 Excellent. All right, tenors, 29:31 do we have a pitch, please? 29:32 [ Organ plays note ] 29:33 Your part has 29:35 the most gymnastics of anyone, 29:36 so get ready, all right? 29:37 Let's sing it nice and loud, 29:38 bold and strong. Are we ready? 29:40 One, two, three. 29:42 >> ♪ Rejoice, ye pure in heart 29:46 ♪ Rejoice, give thanks, 29:48 and sing ♪ 29:50 Hold it, hold it, 29:51 hold it, hold it. 29:53 [ Laughter ] 30:02 Tenors, we're going to sing now. 30:05 Okay? This is -- 30:06 This is a song. 30:08 We open our mouths, 30:09 we sing. 30:10 Tenors, I need you to stand, 30:11 please. 30:12 Would you please stand? 30:14 Come on, come on, let's do it. 30:15 Come on. 30:17 There is such potential here. 30:18 There is gold in these pews. 30:20 Okay? All right? Let's see. 30:22 Pitch again, please, Dr. Logan. 30:23 [ Organ plays note ] 30:24 [ Hums ] One, two, three. 30:27 >> ♪ Rejoice, ye pure in heart 30:31 ♪ Rejoice, give thanks, 30:33 and sing ♪ 30:36 ♪ Your festal banner wave 30:40 on high ♪ 30:42 [ Off-key] ♪ The cross of Christ 30:44 your King ♪ 30:48 >> Hold it, hold it, hold it. 30:49 Hold it, hold it, hold it. 30:52 That was entirely my fault. 30:54 I confess it. 30:55 Confession is good for the soul, 30:58 but bad for the reputation. 31:00 All right, we're going 31:00 to try this from the top. 31:01 One more time, tenors, okay? 31:02 And this time, we're going 31:03 to get it all the way through, 31:04 and we're going to join up 31:05 with the sopranos and altos. 31:05 Are you ready? All right. 31:06 From the beginning. [ Hums ] 31:08 One, two, three. 31:10 >> ♪ Rejoice, ye pure in heart 31:15 ♪ Rejoice, give thanks, 31:17 and sing ♪ 31:20 ♪ Your festal banner wave 31:24 on high ♪ 31:25 ♪ The cross of Christ 31:28 your King ♪ 31:31 ♪ Rejoice, rejoice 31:36 ♪ Rejoice, give thanks, 31:39 and sing ♪ 31:42 >> Good job, good job. 31:43 All right, sopranos, altos, 31:44 are you ready? 31:45 Do you think the tenors 31:46 are ready? 31:49 Now, come on, sopranos, altos, 31:51 my goodness. 31:52 Okay. All right. 31:53 We're going to do this together. 31:54 Tenors, you can be seated 31:54 if you're good, okay? 31:58 Roll our three parts, please. 32:00 [ Organ plays three notes ] 32:03 One, two, three. 32:06 >> ♪ Rejoice, ye pure in heart 32:11 ♪ Rejoice, give thanks, 32:13 and sing ♪ 32:16 ♪ Your festal banner wave 32:20 on high ♪ 32:21 ♪ The cross of Christ 32:24 your King ♪ 32:26 ♪ Rejoice, rejoice 32:32 ♪ Rejoice, give thanks, 32:35 and sing ♪ 32:39 >> Not bad, not bad. 32:41 I think there are agents in the 32:43 building looking for recording 32:44 contracts. 32:45 So, basses, don't let us down. 32:46 Are you ready? 32:47 All right. Basses, 32:48 are you feeling confident? 32:50 Have you seen your part there? 32:53 [ Laughter ] 32:57 All right. Basses, I'm just 32:58 going to cut to the chase. 32:59 Stand to your feet, please. 33:00 Stand up straight. 33:01 Look me straight in the eye. 33:02 All right? We can do this. 33:04 Yes, even you in the back. 33:05 Basses, we need you, every last 33:06 bass. 33:07 Don't be shy. Our note is... 33:08 [ Organ plays note ] 33:10 [ Hums ] 33:12 One, two, three. 33:15 >> ♪ Rejoice, ye pure in heart 33:20 ♪ Rejoice, give thanks, 33:22 and sing ♪ 33:25 ♪ Your festal banner wave 33:29 on high ♪ 33:30 ♪ The cross of Christ 33:33 your King ♪ 33:35 ♪ Rejoice 33:38 >> Rest. 33:39 >> Rejoice ♪ 33:41 ♪ Rejoice, give thanks, 33:43 and sing ♪ 33:46 >> That was not bad. 33:48 That was not bad at all. 33:50 All right. Good job, basses. 33:51 Yeah. They give you a bad rap. 33:53 It's just the sopranos though. 33:54 Don't worry about it. Okay. 33:56 Okay. I think we're ready. 33:58 Let's try this, all four parts. 34:03 Are you ready? 34:04 Roll chord, please. 34:06 [ Organ plays four notes ] 34:09 One two, three. 34:12 >> ♪ Rejoice, ye pure in heart 34:17 ♪ Rejoice, give thanks, 34:19 and sing ♪ 34:22 ♪ Your festal banner wave 34:26 on high ♪ 34:28 ♪ The cross of Christ 34:30 your King ♪ 34:33 ♪ Rejoice, rejoice 34:38 ♪ Rejoice, give thanks, 34:41 and sing ♪ 34:45 >> All right. 34:46 Everybody stand up. 34:48 Hold your hymnbooks up high 34:50 so you can see me. 34:51 All right? Look straight ahead. 34:53 Stand up tall. We're going 34:55 to sing golden tones here. 34:58 And let's do the first 35:00 and the last verse 35:02 with full accompaniment. 35:03 Would you roll our chord, 35:04 please? Yes. 35:06 One, two, three. 35:40 >> Last verse. 36:18 >> Now don't sit down yet. 36:19 We're going to do the first 36:20 verse a cappella. 36:24 And I want you to imagine. 36:27 That the father is sitting 36:28 on his throne, 36:30 waiting in anxious anticipation 36:34 for the love of his children 36:35 to be reciprocated. 36:37 Pitches, please. 36:38 [ Organ plays four notes ] 36:43 One, two, three. 37:23 >> Amen. Amen. 37:25 >> Amen, amen, amen. 37:28 Please be seated right 37:29 where you're at. 37:30 Just go ahead and have a seat 37:31 right there. 37:32 The real estate, that pew that 37:34 you paid for will still be 37:35 sitting there after we're done 37:36 with this little exercise, 37:37 so don't go back to your seats 37:38 quite yet. 37:40 Jesus said, 37:42 "The Father is looking 37:44 for worshipers who will worship 37:46 Him in spirit and in truth." 37:50 You just taught us something 37:52 in this little exercise 37:54 that I think gives us 37:56 at least three insights 37:58 into what that means. 38:02 Insight number one. 38:05 Hearts that are united 38:07 can make great music together. 38:12 Oh, say amen. Amen and amen. 38:15 Hearts that are united. 38:16 Hearts that are singing off 38:16 of the same page. 38:17 You know, when we first 38:18 started there, there was 38:19 a few stumbles in there. 38:20 But by the end, 38:21 it was heavenly music 38:22 that was filling this place. 38:23 Hearts that are united. 38:25 When we are doing things 38:26 together as the people of 38:28 Christ, great things can happen. 38:30 We can make beautiful music. 38:32 You know, Jesus said, "The Lord 38:35 is looking for -- The Father is 38:37 looking for worshipers that will 38:38 worship in spirit and in truth." 38:39 In some of your translations, 38:40 the word "spirit" is lowercase, 38:42 lowercase S. 38:43 In other translations, 38:44 it's an uppercase S, 38:46 and interestingly enough, 38:47 both are correct because, 38:50 you see, on the one hand, 38:52 the Father is looking for people 38:53 that will worship Him with 38:54 with spirit, 38:56 with their heart, with passion, 38:57 no reserve, no retreat, 38:59 everything put towards that. 39:00 And we talk about horses 39:02 being spirited, you know, 39:03 a spirited horse, you know, 39:04 they they're they're ready 39:05 to get out of the gate. 39:07 When the barn doors open, 39:07 off they go. 39:09 If they're in a race with 39:10 another horse, there's nothing 39:10 that's held back. 39:12 This is spirit. 39:13 God is looking for worshipers 39:15 that will worship Him 39:16 in that way. 39:17 This is why, you know, 39:18 I have you sit up as you sing. 39:19 We can do this more. 39:20 We can do this together. 39:22 We often underestimate our best. 39:26 But the Lord is saying, 39:27 "Hey, come get -- 39:28 I've given you spirit. 39:30 Put it to work for me. Passion. 39:31 All of you. Nothing held back." 39:35 And as it turns out, 39:36 that kind of spirit, 39:37 that kind of heart and passion 39:39 ultimately has only one source. 39:44 Lesson number two. 39:56 This is the uppercase S, 39:58 right, capital S, Spirit. 40:00 You know, I wish I had more time 40:01 to talk about this today. 40:02 We're going to talk 40:03 about the Holy Spirit 40:04 in the not too distant future. 40:04 This is a super, 40:05 super important topic. 40:07 Suffice it for now to say this. 40:09 The Holy Spirit is 40:10 the presence of God on Earth. 40:12 It is the very presence 40:14 of Jesus Christ. 40:15 To be filled with 40:16 the Holy Spirit is our great 40:18 need, for all of 40:19 God's spiritual blessings 40:21 follow the infilling 40:22 of the Holy Spirit. 40:25 This is an astonishing fact. 40:26 Jesus himself said, 40:28 "It is better for you" -- 40:30 to his disciples -- 40:31 "it is better for you 40:32 that I leave 40:34 so that the Holy Spirit 40:35 can come in my place." 40:37 Now, ladies and gentlemen, 40:38 if Jesus Christ in person 40:40 were preaching somewhere else 40:41 on this campus, 40:42 you would not be sitting here 40:43 right now. 40:45 I wouldn't be sitting here 40:46 right now myself. 40:47 I'd be over there 40:48 because Jesus was here, right? 40:49 And yet Jesus says, 40:50 "It is better for me 40:52 that I'm not here 40:54 so that the Holy Spirit 40:56 can be sent." 40:57 Because Jesus became one 40:59 with the human race, 41:01 He cannot physically be present 41:02 in every place at once before. 41:03 But by the Holy Spirit 41:06 He can now live inside of us, 41:07 closer than the air 41:07 that we breathe. 41:10 This school year, 41:11 God has called us to work 41:12 together as a campus family. 41:14 All of us -- students, 41:15 those that are not students, 41:16 older folk, younger folk, 41:17 everybody in between, all of us. 41:19 And we must remember that choirs 41:21 are the strongest 41:22 when everyone sings. 41:23 I hope you noticed that. 41:24 That was pretty obvious, 41:25 wasn't it? 41:26 When it was just sopranos or 41:27 altos or tenors, you know, 41:29 that sounds good, 41:30 but when everybody is singing, 41:31 wow, I mean, the rafters 41:32 just shake with gladness. 41:35 That's what it's like when we're 41:36 firing on all cylinders. 41:37 There are no unimportant 41:40 God-given gifts. 41:43 And if you sit here this morning 41:44 and you're a follower of God, 41:45 you have at least one. 41:46 And I've never met anybody that 41:47 only has one God-given gift. 41:49 God is calling you to put those 41:51 to use here on this campus 41:53 and to do it with heart, 41:54 with your spirit fully engaged. 41:56 And to do that requires, again, 41:58 the filling of the Holy Spirit. 42:01 So I plead with you, 42:03 if you are not currently 42:04 in the habit of doing it, 42:06 would you begin this day 42:08 to simply ask for 42:10 the filling of the Holy Spirit? 42:13 You know, 42:14 it actually is that simple. 42:15 And not because I say it is. 42:16 Because Jesus did. 42:17 Luke 11:13, if we were to read 42:18 that, we would find there 42:19 Jesus says -- 42:21 He's talking to a crowd, 42:22 a somewhat mixed multitude, 42:24 and He says, "If you then, 42:25 though you are evil, 42:26 know how to give good gifts 42:27 to your children, 42:28 how much more will the Father 42:30 in Heaven give the Holy Spirit 42:32 to those who"... 42:33 >> Ask. 42:34 >> Ask, exactly. To ask. 42:36 This is the beginning 42:38 of the freedom, the salvation, 42:40 the power-filled, 42:42 transformative life 42:43 that Jesus longs for us to live. 42:45 And it begins 42:46 with the Holy Spirit of God. 42:47 So ask for it, make it 42:49 your first work each day. 42:50 Lord, fill me with 42:51 Your Holy Spirit, lead me by 42:53 your Spirit throughout this day. 42:56 Which leads us 42:57 to the third lesson 42:59 that you taught us this morning, 43:01 and that is that... 43:10 Hmm. 43:12 And I'm going to suggest 43:14 that that truth is best revealed 43:15 in this book. 43:17 The Bible. 43:19 It's not the only place 43:21 that the truth is revealed. 43:22 We can have inspiration of truth 43:23 from nature. 43:24 Sometimes the Holy Spirit 43:25 just speaks to our hearts. 43:26 But this is 43:27 the most reliable source. 43:29 This is the filter through which 43:30 all other revelations must pass. 43:32 This is the foundation here. 43:33 The verbal foundation to God's 43:36 Kingdom is found right here. 43:38 Now, can you imagine how we 43:39 would have sounded on 43:41 "Rejoice, Ye Pure in Heart," 43:42 if instead of the the tenors 43:45 singing off of page 27, 43:47 they chose page 28. 43:52 How would that have sounded? 43:55 Pretty bad. Pretty bad. 43:58 But when we are singing off 44:00 of the same page of God's truth, 44:04 when we hold up and elevate 44:06 His Word and said, "This is the 44:07 standard by which we will live," 44:08 that will help us 44:09 to be drawn together. 44:12 You know, to be pure in heart, 44:13 just to come right down 44:13 to the texture of the song 44:14 that we just sang, 44:15 to be pure in heart 44:16 is to be fully committed, 44:17 fully focused, of fully 44:19 focused follower of God. 44:20 And the only way we know 44:22 for certain how to follow God 44:23 in this way is through 44:24 the study of His Word. 44:28 So, again, I plead with you, 44:29 if you are not currently 44:30 in the habit of studying 44:31 the Word on a regular basis, 44:33 please begin to do so. 44:36 I would love to see Jesus 44:37 come back with my own two eyes 44:39 before death, wouldn't you? 44:40 That would be an awesome thing. 44:44 And yet, so often when we look 44:45 throughout the land, we look -- 44:47 When we look across the world 44:48 of Christianity, 44:50 it seems that the only time 44:51 we spend time in the Bible 44:53 is during a sermon. 44:55 I plead with you, 44:56 don't let it happen to you. 44:59 Become a student of the Word. 45:00 You know, Jesus, every morning, 45:02 is available for a personal 45:03 Bible study just with you. 45:06 And if you will take just that 45:07 time and open His words, 45:09 if you haven't done this before, 45:10 start with the Gospels -- 45:11 Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John -- 45:12 and just read a few verses there 45:13 and say, "What is God 45:15 trying to speak to me? 45:18 What lessons are here for me 45:19 that I can learn from God 45:20 and from His Word?" 45:23 You see, when we are filled 45:26 with the Spirit of God, 45:28 when we are regularly studying 45:29 the Word of God, we cannot help 45:32 but be drawn together. 45:33 That is the inevitable result. 45:35 We cannot help but become, 45:36 ultimately, worshipers 45:37 that worship God in spirit 45:39 and in truth. 45:40 And please hear this well. 45:42 There is no limit 45:45 to what God can do with 45:46 the individual or the class 45:48 or the campus or the church 45:50 who is guided by the Word of God 45:51 and filled with His Holy Spirit. 45:54 There's no limit to that. 45:55 There is no challenge that we 45:56 face, there's no problem that 45:57 you have personally, 45:58 there's no challenge that we 45:59 have corporately that cannot be 46:02 overcome with that recipe. 46:04 People who worship God in spirit 46:06 and in truth. 46:08 We are dealing with spiritual 46:09 dynamite here. 46:11 Great gold stuff. 46:14 These are the very kind of 46:16 worshipers that Jesus said the 46:17 Father craves. 46:19 And as we end our time here 46:20 this morning, I want to give you 46:21 an opportunity to say, 46:22 "Yes, Lord, 46:24 I want to be one of those kinds 46:25 of worshipers, 46:27 one who worships you in spirit 46:29 and in truth." 46:31 You know, it's tradition here 46:32 at Pioneer that 46:34 a spiritual theme is selected 46:36 for that particular school year, 46:37 that ministry year. 46:38 And as you by now, I hope, know, 46:41 the theme for this year is 46:42 Together in Spirit and in Truth. 46:45 You know, in American business 46:47 and probably in most of the rest 46:48 of the world, for that matter, 46:49 a deal is not a deal 46:51 until both parties 46:53 have signed the contract. Right? 46:56 Well in the contract 46:58 of the Kingdom, Jesus has 47:00 already signed his name in 47:01 blood. 47:04 Because on the cross, He said, 47:05 "Yes, I do. 47:07 I will seek to save 47:09 as many people as possible." 47:12 And he signed His name, 47:13 as it were, in blood. 47:15 Jesus now waits 47:17 for our signatures. 47:19 And on this banner, we used 47:20 to have everybody come and sign 47:22 on the same banner. 47:23 And it used to be -- 47:24 my understanding -- 47:25 is just freshmen and faculty 47:26 would sign it, which 47:27 it's a wonderful thing. 47:28 We are expanding that now 47:29 to everyone 47:31 to be able to sign this. 47:32 And, so, the banner is bigger 47:35 and we have a new way 47:36 that we would like you to sign. 47:37 I have some volunteers 47:39 that are here with me. 47:40 If you can go ahead and stand 47:41 where you're at and find 47:42 a position around the sanctuary 47:43 here. 47:44 We have taken the cloth, the 47:46 canvas that we are eventually 47:48 going to put onto this banner, 47:50 and placed it on these smaller 47:51 signing cards. 47:53 My helpers here, they're going 47:54 to have Sharpie pens. 47:56 You can choose your color and 47:58 you can come and you can sign. 47:59 We had students sign 48:01 last night at Vespers. 48:02 We had first 48:03 service participants sign 48:04 at first service. 48:05 And I would love it 48:07 if we would fill up every spot 48:09 on these signing tiles. 48:10 There'll be two of them in the 48:11 balcony, there'll be some here 48:12 in the middle. 48:12 We also have some at the very 48:13 back of the sanctuary. 48:15 In addition to the ones 48:15 here up front. 48:17 If you would like to say to God, 48:21 "I'm in. I want to be that one 48:25 who worships You, together 48:26 with others, 48:27 in spirit and in truth," 48:29 if you want to sign your name 48:30 on that contract, 48:32 would you please make your way 48:33 now, as we sing some hymns 48:34 together. 48:35 Find a spot. 48:36 Go ahead, come and find a place 48:38 and sign your name. 48:40 And let's let the Lord know 48:41 what we think. 48:43 [ Organ plays ] 48:45 ♪ 48:52 ♪ 48:59 ♪ 51:49 ♪ 51:57 ♪ 52:05 ♪ 52:13 >> And all God's people said... 52:14 >> Amen. 52:15 >> Amen and amen. 52:18 My prayer for us 52:19 and for our campus 52:21 and for the schools 52:22 that we have the privilege 52:23 of ministering with, 52:25 and indeed this would be a year 52:27 that is marked strongly 52:32 with the inspiration 52:33 of the Holy Spirit, 52:35 with unity, with God's power 52:39 flowing through His word, 52:41 that it might be a blessing 52:42 to those not just here, 52:45 but through all the places 52:46 around the world 52:46 that this campus touches. 52:50 It is our tradition here 52:51 at Pioneer to close out 52:54 the first full Sabbath 52:55 of the year, 52:56 when everyone is back in 52:58 session, with our singing 53:00 of the Lord's Prayer. 53:01 And indeed, we are going to do 53:02 that here. 53:04 Brenton will come 53:06 and lead us in that song. 53:08 This will be our benediction. 53:10 There will be nothing further 53:11 in the program after that. 53:12 This is our saying to the Lord, 53:14 we are Yours, we are committed, 53:16 and we are ready 53:18 to do Your bidding. 53:20 I would invite you, please, 53:21 to stand to your feet now 53:22 as Brenton comes to lead us. 53:28 [ Organ plays ] 54:44 ♪ 54:50 ♪ 56:19 >> Amen. 56:21 ♪ 56:28 ♪ 56:34 >> Amen. 56:35 >> Amen. 56:40 >> Before you go, let me take 56:42 just a moment to share with you 56:43 an opportunity to get into the 56:44 Bible in a fresh, new way. 56:46 All across the world, 56:48 more and more people are hearing 56:49 the call to examine 56:50 the Scriptures for themselves. 56:52 If you felt drawn to learn more 56:54 about God's word but you don't 56:55 know where to start or you're 56:56 just looking for a more in-depth 56:58 examination of Bible truths, 57:00 then I have something right here 57:02 that I believe you're 57:03 going to enjoy. 57:04 I would like to send you 57:05 a series of Bible study guides. 57:07 Each of these study guides 57:09 asks and answers 57:10 very important questions, such 57:12 as these examples right here -- 57:13 "Why Does God Allow Suffering?" 57:15 "Can God be trusted?" 57:18 Each of the initial five guides 57:20 begins with a story 57:21 to introduce the subject. 57:23 Then, through a series of 57:24 focused questions, you'll soon 57:26 be learning portions of the 57:27 Bible you may never 57:28 have known before. 57:30 And when you're through, 57:31 you'll be able to share 57:32 with others these inspiring 57:33 truths from God's words. 57:36 Just call our toll-free number. 57:37 It's on your screen now. 57:39 877, the two words "HIS WILL," 57:42 Friendly operators 57:44 are standing by to send you 57:44 these guides. 57:46 Once again, that's 877-HIS-WILL. 57:49 Call that number. 57:50 And don't forget to join me 57:52 next week right here 57:53 at the same time. 58:00 ♪ 58:07 ♪ 58:14 ♪ 58:20 ♪ |
Revised 2024-03-06